THE Cumbrian man accused of sexually assaulting a woman with a large carving knife has confirmed that the blade came from his kitchen.

At Carlisle Crown Court, prosecuting barrister Tim Evans challenged defendant Michael Myers, 59, about key ways in which the account he gave to the police differed to what he had just told the jury.

The defendant, of Windermere Road, Kendal, denies sexually assaulting the woman with the 13-inch long knife on September 18, 2021.

Under questioning from Mr Evans, Myers accepted that the alleged victim, who told police it was the defendant who sexually assaulted her with the knife after she refused to have sex with him, was an “honest woman.”

Myers also accepted that the woman had never made false allegations against him in the past. Mr Evans took the defendant through what he said to the police after he was arrested at his flat.

“You are telling the police again, and again and again that you just can’t remember anything,” said Mr Evans. “Is that the truth: that you can’t remember anything when you got back [to your flat]?”

Myers said: “I didn’t do it because I’d remember it.”

But, said Mr Evans, under questioning from defence barrister David Traynor, the defendant had said he remembered going to bed on the night in question; that he recalled asking the woman for sex and her saying no; and he said he remembered which side of the bed they had both lain down on.

He also recalled, said Mr Evans, that the woman had said she was going to get a taxi while she was at his flat. Asked to explain the differing accounts about what he could or could not remember, Myers said: “I was under pressure.”

Mr Evans asked the defendant why – as suggested as part of his defence – the woman would put the knife inside herself and then blame him. Myers responded with: “I can’t understand it.”

The barrister said: “Mr Myers, the unhappy truth which you are unwilling to accept is this: you were a man who at that time was doing things you can’t explain. You were putting tables on sofas; you were moving tables around your house; you were putting glue in your fishing tackle bag.

“You were opening doors and cupboards and blaming everyone else for it rather than yourself. You got angry that night when [the woman] refused to have sex.” Myers interjected with the word: “No.”

Continuing his challenge, Mr Evans said: “You asked her for sex; she said no; you then got the knife and you put it inside her but you haven’t got the courage or the honesty to admit that to this jury.”

Myers said: “No.”

Earlier, the jury was told that the woman arrived at Kendal Police Station the early hours and told officers there: ““He raped me with a knife.” The carving knife, which had an eight-inch-long blade, had to be surgically removed.

She suffered a small internal wound, and was treated by doctors at a hosptial in Preston, the court heard. The trial is expected to conclude today [Friday].