A 17-year-old who claimed he was acting in self defence when he stabbed a teenager with a kitchen knife has been cleared by a jury.

The defendant, who cannot be named because of his age, had pleaded not guilty to wounding the alleged victim with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm and a charge of assault by beating in relation to another youth.

He was found not guilty of both offences after a five-day trial at Ipswich Crown Court

The 17-year-old had also denied an offence of having a knife but was convicted of this offence and was given a six month conditional discharge.

The offences are alleged to have been committed in April this year.

In a police interview the 17-year-old said he had been with friends at a house in Cemetery Road, Ipswich, when the alleged victim and another youth had turned up.

He claimed they had beaten him up in the hallway causing bumps and grazes to his face, head, arms and legs and he had picked up a salad knife to scare them off.

He said one of the youths had run off and he had chased him and he had then been hit on the head with a brick by the other youth.

He said he had stabbed the youth who was holding the brick and afterwards had started crying and had run off because he was scared.

He said he had not intended to stab the youth and had done it because he was angry at being hit with the brick.

During the trial the court heard that following the alleged stabbing the blade of the knife was left in the alleged victim’s back and he had needed three stitches in the wound.

The defendant had allegedly run off holding the handle of the knife and had then thrown it on the ground.

The court heard that the defendant and the alleged victims met while they were living in a hostel in Ipswich and had previously been friends.

It was claimed that when the two alleged victims went to meet the defendant to discuss bad feeling between them he was holding a knife and that after cutting the collar of a top worn by one of the youths he had chased after the other one and stabbed him.