A man who claimed he was acting in self-defence when he stabbed a friend in the chest with a flick knife has been cleared of wounding charges.

Gary Booth told how he became emotional and begged Charles Joy to get up as he lay on the ground bleeding.

He did so, he said, not because he was in “a heap of trouble”, but because he did not want him to die.

Mr Joy was taken by air ambulance to a London hospital and detained for six days.

Maidstone Crown Court heard both men were drunk when they clashed in Sheerness on August 17 last year.

Mr Joy - known as Chubb - said he did not remember headbutting another man earlier in The Ivy Leaf bar in the High Street, which was caught on CCTV cameras and shown to the jury.

“I feel quite ashamed looking at it,” he admitted.

He and Mr Booth, 30, had been out with others in the town. They ended up at a caravan at Sheerness Caravan Park.

While in the caravan it was alleged Mr Joy discovered Mr Booth, a friend from school days, had a knife.

“They went outside and Mr Joy took the knife from him and threw it away,” said prosecutor Martin Yale.

“As they walked to Halfway Road, Mr Joy recalled Mr Booth saying he was going to stab him.

“He asked what he was going to stab him with and he produced the knife. He thought it was the same knife he took away from him earlier. Mr Booth tried to stab him. He tried to punch Mr Joy but missed.

“Mr Joy headbutted him and knocked him to the ground. He remained on the ground for a few moments. Mr Booth took the knife and stabbed him to the right upper chest.

“Mr Booth also kicked Mr Joy while he was on the ground. There was blood on the pavement, on the kerb and in the middle of the road.”

Mr Joy was drifting in and out of consciousness. He was treated in hospital for lung damage.

Mr Yale said two knives were found. The flick knife was in a flowerpot and the other blade was under a caravan.

Mr Booth, of Main Road, Queenborough, denied wounding with intent, an alternative of unlawful wounding and having an offensive weapon.

The jury of eight men and four women acquitted him tpday of all charges after deliberating for six hours.

Mr Booth said in evidence he had not been in the mood for a fight, but things kicked off and Mr Joy went for him, headbutting him and knocking him to the ground.

He claimed Mr Joy punched and kicked him and threatened to kill him. He tried to get up and then saw a knife coming at him from nowhere.

Mr Booth said he slapped Mr Joy’s wrist, knocking the weapon out of his hand. He picked it up and held it in front of him and in some way it penetrated Mr Joy’s chest.

When police spoke to him he claimed he and Mr Joy had been attacked by a group of men. He admitted he had lied.