THE victim of a horrific knife attack feared for his life during the three-on-one assault, a court heard.

Donald Adu, Calvin Armstrong and a 16-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal reasons are accused of attempting to murder Leon Sobers in Mandeville Road, Marks Tey, on Halloween last year.

It is alleged they lured Mr Sobers to an alleyway after calling him out of the blue offering free dug samples before setting upon him.

Ipswich Crown Court had heard the three believed Mr Sobers was linked to a robbery of their drug dealing associate - but Mr Sobers said he had never seen any of the assailants before and had no idea why he was targeted.

“The person on the phone said they had got my number from Paula, they wanted to meet up because they had some bits - meaning drugs - and wanted to sell them,” he said.

Mr Sobers said he went to the alleyway alone and found three people - one was wearing a skeleton mask.

Another asked if he had numbers for them - which he thought was to do with them wanting to start a drug line - while another said he recognised him from a party.

The masked person - which is said to be the 16-year-old - then stabbed Mr Sobers from behind.

“He took a step across and then I felt a sharp pain in my back,” he said.

“I had to get out of there and thought I needed to make a commotion and make some noise.”

Mr Sobers was chased away and banged on doors before he was caught up the group.

“They were rushing me, attacking me,” he said.

“I was scared, I thought I was going to die - I felt like I was fighting for my life.”

After the group made off, Mr Sobers was helped by a former paramedic before the emergency service arrived.

He suffered several stab wounds and his bowel spilled out from one of them which actually may have stopped him bleeding to death.

Adu, of Howard Road, London, Armstrong, of no fixed address, and the boy, who is from Colchester, deny attempted murder and an alternative charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Armstrong, 22, and the boy deny they were even there but Adu, 25, accepts he was at the scene but says he was not involved in the assault.

n The trial continues.