A woman has described the incident in which her boyfriend was attacked by a teenager flailing two knives, who had already set his dog onto the victim.

The witness was giving evidence on the second day of the trial of Taylor Bentham, who is accused of the attempted murder of his 29-year-old victim in the incident on Bent House Lane, off Sherburn Road, Durham, on Friday April 7.

Newcastle Crown Court has heard there was “bad blood” between the pair, as the older man accused Bentham of sending messages to his girlfriend.

In her recorded police interview, the day after the incident, the woman confirmed the messages had annoyed her partner, who had intercepted the latest on the night of April 6.

Read more: Trial hears from victim of knife attack in Durham City

The following day, Good Friday, which was his birthday, she and a friend went with him for a walk on the riverbanks in Durham.

They called into a pub at Shincliffe for a drink before making their way back past Maiden Castle, and onwards to Bent House Lane, where they were passed by a motorcyclist, whose machine came to a halt with an apparent fault.

Her boyfriend approached the rider to offer assistance, but when he lifted his balaclava, they could see it was Bentham.

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The pair soon agreed to a fight, in which she said both men exchanged punches before stumbling down a river bankside.

She said when the fight came to an end her boyfriend offered to shake hands with Bentham, who refused.

But after managing to re-start his motorbike he drove close past them, causing them to have to take evasive action, before he headed up Bent House Lane.

The woman said less than ten minutes later she saw Bentham approaching them, coming down Bent House Lane, carrying two knives with blades of between 8 and 10ins each.

He was accompanied by his dog, previously described as a Mastiff-type, which she said was a Presa Canario breed.

She said Bentham set the dog on her boyfriend, who was trying jump in and out of bushes to escape it.

The dog finally bit his arm several times and he went to ground after which Bentham either leaned over or sat astride her boyfriend stabbing him what she believed to be up to ten times, in an attack lasting between 30 seconds and a minute.

She said she shouted for Bentham to stop ignored her, and the defendant's female cousin then approached also came down shouting for him to cease  the attack.

Bentham then ended with two final thrusts of the knife, before he ran off, but she said she did not known what happened to his dog.

A passer-by, who she believed to be ex-military, went to her boyfriend’s aid while she was giving details to the ambulance service over her phone.

On arrival an ambulance paramedic took over the first aid at the scene before the victim was taken for emergency treatment to Newcastle’s RVI, where he spent the next four days.

Read next:

Taylor Bentham, 18, charged after Durham Good Friday assault

Durham teenager with out of control dog faces attempted murder trial

County Durham man launched drunken knife attack on now ex-partner

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Bentham, 19, of Cuthbert Avenue, Sherburn Road, Durham, admits wounding with intent, but denies a charge of attempted murder.

The defendant is due to give evidence on the third day of the trial, tomorrow.

Proceeding.