A Bristol man whose wife allegedly lured him to woods for sex and then tried to murder him gave a jury a confused picture of what happened in the incident.

Peter Hale made it clear from the outset he didn't want his wife, Joanne, prosecuted for allegedly slashing his throat and stabbing him, before leaving him in the care of a passer-by while she went to meet her internet boyfriend.

He admitted yesterday that he had lied to the jury the previous day when he suggested there was a mystery man around in Stoke Park at the time of the incident. Mr Hale also conceded that in his police statement he said he thought his wife deliberately cut his neck, although he believed other injuries he suffered were not intentionally caused.

His 39-year-old wife denies attempted murder, as well as wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in December last year.

It is alleged Hale inflicted a 12cm long slash to her husband's throat before stabbing him further, including an almost fatal 2cm-deep wound to his chest, which caused a collapsed lung, cardiac arrest and heart damage.

Yesterday the jury also heard from a pathologist, who said at least one wound was life-threatening and unlikely to be self-inflicted.

It is claimed after the incident that Hale left her husband with passerby Timothy Walker, without saying she knew him or what happened, before driving to Bristol Parkway and meeting her internet boyfriend, postal worker Philip Sudol, for the first time.

Mr Hale said that, after the incident, he told Mr Walker he didn't know who had attacked him, but had known his wife had gone to pick up a man called Phil from the station.

Mr Hale told police there had been a "frenzied tussle" with his wife before he disarmed her of a knife and threw it away.

But he told the jury he didn't know if there had been a knife, and he didn't know why he had told police there was – and even tried to help them find one – because it didn't make sense.

Mr Hale said before the incident he had drunk a mixture of Bacardi rum, whisky and brandy, and a herbal stimulant called "horny goat weed" from his wife before they walked to the woods, but stressed they didn't have sex there.

He continually told the court he was confused about what happened, and was similarly confused by "trying too hard" in court.

Mr Hale told the jury the stimulant he had taken could have been hallucinogenic, similar to the LSD he had experienced in the past.

He said: "In hospital I thought I was being trained as a doctor. For maybe the first half of the time I was in there I thought that was why I was there.

"I thought the doctors were doing a Ouija board ceremony in order to find out what happened to me.

"I thought they were taking me for a beer and curry when they took me from intensive care to a regular ward.

"I saw demons in the curtains when I was in bed and I thought the hospital radio started and the DJ was talking to me."

Mr Hale said at the time he was on anti-depressants as well as medication for asthma, diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure and irritable bowel syndrome.

Home office pathologist Dr Deborah Cook told the court a stab wound to Mr Hale's chest – which cut through his right internal mammary artery and caused a litre of blood to fill his right chest cavity – was a life-threatening injury.

She said the wound was not typical of a self-inflicted wound, as were two wounds to the back of his neck.

She told the jury that a flesh wound to the front of his neck was not life-threatening, but described its cause as "indeterminate".

The court heard Mr Hale suffered five cuts to his right hand, which were considered to be the result of him defending himself.

In a statement Timothy Walker, who chanced on the Hales after the attack, said Mrs Hale told him she didn't know what happened before she said "something about getting her car" and left. Mr Walker said Mr Hale told him he didn't know who was responsible for the attack – but then told a paramedic his wife had done it.

Timothy Hart, an ambulance practitioner, said Mr Hale told him his wife was involved in the assault.

Karen Brooks, a voluntary St John Ambulance emergency transport attendant for Great Western Ambulance Service, told the court she attended to Mr Hale when he said he had been stabbed by his wife, but she didn't know what she was doing.

PC Gregory Ball told the court he attended the scene and Mr Hale had said his wife had attacked him.

He said: "He said they had been out to buy legal drugs and during this period Joanne had attacked him. She thought they were having sex; she was telling him to calm down while attacking him with the knife."

The case continues at Bristol Crown Court.