A 30-year-old Gloucester man has told a jury how he armed himself with a knife and an axe to ambush and seriously injure a man whom he believed was having an affair with his wife.

Rowan Lee told jurors at Gloucester Crown Court that he intended to damage his victim's hands with the weapons - but did not intend to kill him.

Lee, of Sidney Street, Gloucester, has pleaded not guilty to attempting to murder Philip Talbot on April 19, 2021, but admits other charges including wounding with intent and possessing offensive weapons.

The jury has been told that Lee suspected Mr Talbot had been having an affair with his wife Georgia, who was a colleague of his at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

By the time of the incident Mr Talbot had left his job at the hospital and was in new employment at Staverton.

Lee told the jury last Friday (January 21) "I hadn't had a drink that day as I wanted to be clear in my head what I was doing because I knew what was ahead.

"I drove around the Staverton airport estate in the morning and saw what I believed to be Mr Talbot's grey Vauxhall Astra parked up. It had a distinctive roof rack on it.

"I drove back home and quizzed my wife about it, but she wasn't sure, but I was certain it was Mr Talbot's car.

"I went back to Staverton and when I saw him leave work, I followed him. I intentionally struck the Astra from behind. I wanted him to stop. I wanted to check it was him.

"He got out of the car and said, 'What's the crack?' to which I said he should go onto the grass verge. As he moved his car, I grabbed my knife from the driver's door pocket.

"I asked him 'Do you know who I am? I'm Georgia's husband.' I then shouted at him and said: 'You had sex with my wife,' following which he ran off back to his car and closed the door.

"I managed to open the door and punched him in the face with my left hand. I hit him hard. I shouted at him again, 'You had sex with my wife,' after which I struck out with my knife, which was in my right hand.

"Mr Talbot began hitting out at me trying to push me away. I was attempting to cut and jab at his hands. I was targeting his hands, but it was one big frantic mess as he was moving around too much.

"It lasted around 30 seconds when a woman approached me. I threw the knife over towards the back of the car.

"At this point I knew I had caused some minor injuries, but the wounds were not very deep. I was only focusing on his hands.

"I went back to the car. Mr Talbot's car then began to roll backwards and nearly squashed me between the two cars. I entered the car I was using by the front passenger door and climbed over to the driver's seat.

"I followed him and almost immediately I hit Mr Talbot's Astra again once or twice which span him around. I then hit him sideways on and this resulted in his car going into a ditch. I climbed over the back seat to grab my axe. I was determined to attack him again.

"I then began hitting the driver's door window with the axe and smashed it. I opened the door by which time Mr Talbot had moved to the passenger seat. I started to attack him using a chopping motion, but he then began kicking out with his legs and arms.

"I know I struck him on the arms a few times. I was only aiming at Mr Talbot's hands as I was still upset, and I felt I had not done enough damage to his hands. He often put his hands in front of his face.

"Once I saw that his injuries were sufficient enough, I realised I had done what I set out to do.

"I was aware that somebody was approaching me. I was still holding the axe and left the scene and headed to Cheltenham. But I was lost and had to turn around into Ash Way where I flung the axe over a hedge.

"I wanted to buy myself some time to say goodbye to my daughter to tell her I had done something wrong and that I wouldn't be around for a while. I then parked the car in the Eastern Avenue area before handing myself in."

Asked by the prosecutor David Scutt if he had the intention of killing Mr Talbot Mr Lee replied 'No' and added: "I had the axe and I smashed the window to show him that I was angry. I did not intend to kill him, just injure him."

Mr Talbot has told the jury that he had a 'warm feeling' in his stomach area after the attack and realised he was losing blood.

He was taken out of the vehicle by passers-by. He said he remembered people attending to him and others had placed their hands on his wounds to compress them. He also recalled a loss of sensation in two of his fingers.

Mr Talbot said to those caring for him that he felt as he was dying and asked them to relay the fact he loved his daughter and his wife to them.

Paramedics from ambulance crews and a doctor with the air ambulance provided the initial medical treatment to Mr Talbot who was taken by road to Southmead Hospital in Bristol once he had been stabilised.

Lee, formerly known as Daniel Hibbard, has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of Mr Talbot on April 19, 2021, but has admitted maliciously wounding him with intent to do grievous bodily harm on the same occasion. He has also pleaded guilty to being in possession of two offensive weapons, a knife, and an axe, in Bamfurlong Lane without reasonable excuse.

Lee has further admitted dangerous driving of a black Ford Focus in Bamfurlong Lane on the April 19, 2021, and not having a valid driving licence or third-party insurance on the vehicle.

The trial is set to continue on Wednesday, January 26, 2022.