A man allegedly stabbed an associate in the chest during a row over a £45 debt, the High Court heard on Thursday.
Prosecutors said Gareth Johnston, 24, was also armed with a hatchet when he called at the victim’s home in Antrim.
Johnston, of Dunore Crescent in the town, faces charges of attempted murder, wounding with intent, and possessing an offensive weapon in connection with the confrontation on March 25 this year.
He claims to have acted in self-defence after the alleged victim wielded a samurai sword and tried to push him over a balcony.
The court heard the two men knew each other and sometimes socialised together.
Johnston lunged at the other man as soon as he opened the front door of his flat in the Oakburn area and declared that he was going to stab him, it was claimed.
As they struggled on a communal landing the complainant said he lifted an ornamental samurai sword due to fears for his safety.
“The injured party stated that (Johnston) turned back towards him with a knife in his hand, stabbing him once to the chest before making off from the scene,” Crown counsel submitted.
Neighbours provided initial first aid before paramedics arrived at the scene.
He was taken to hospital for treatment to a chest wound and blood in his lungs.
When Johnston was arrested in Antrim later the same day he disclosed that he had a hatchet in his jacket pocket.
Detectives also located the samurai sword and a blood-stained broken-off blade of a knife outside the alleged victim’s flat.
The handle was found discarded in an area of grass near the apartment block, while a second knife was seized from the injured party’s bedroom.
During interviews Johnston claimed he had been in Belfast the previous night and messaged the other man seeking payment of a £45 debt as he had no money to get back home.
He told police that £25 then transferred to him was enough for a taxi.
The following day Johnston went to the alleged victim’s home, bringing a hatchet with him “in case there was violence”, according to his account.
He claimed the man opened the door and immediately thrust at him with the samurai sword before trying to shove him over the balcony.
Johnston stated that he spotted a kitchen knife lying on the ground as they struggled, only picking it up because he was in fear and wanted to get away.
His barrister, Sean Mullan, insisted that he provided a full account to police.
“He has accepted that he went round with a hatchet, but he is adamant that he was the one attacked in this skirmish,” the lawyer said.
“It’s quite clear there was no love lost between these two men.”
Seeking bail for Johnston, Mr Mullan argued: “If he is ultimately successful in his case of having acted in self defence, why should he be held in custody?”
But amid concerns about allowing the accused back into Antrim, Mr Justice Scoffield adjourned the application for the defence to provide any potential alternative addresses.