A WOMAN has described her “fight or flight” reaction when her boyfriend “burst in and tried to slit her throat” when she was in the bath.

Sarah Harries, 39, suffered 39 stab wounds during the incident at Sussex Wharf in Shoreham in September, a court heard.

Liam Hanley, 32, is accused of launching a “frenzied” attack upon her, leaving her with life-threatening injuries.

His trial at Lewes Crown Court started on Monday, where he denies attempted murder.

Rachel Beckett, prosecuting, showed the jury pictures of the blood-spattered scene and said: “Our case is that the wounds were inflicted by the defendant in a ferocious attack on his partner.

“It was sudden and violent. He intended to kill Sarah Harries that evening.”

Today the jury was shown Ms Harries’ video interview with police after the incident, where she appeared with bandages and scars where Hanley is alleged to have slit her throat.

She told them she had an on-off relationship with Hanley for more than a year, and had gone with Hanley to McDonald’s in Shoreham for lunch.

They then went to Lidl before returning to her flat in Shoreham Beach.

Everything had been normal, and when they were back at her flat in Shoreham Beach, there was no argument between the couple, she said.

She said: “I ran the bath and I had washed my hair, and he came into the bathroom.

“At first I thought nothing of it. Then he grabbed my hair and had a knife in his hand.

“I remember trying to fight him off and I remember screaming at him. I asked him ‘what are you doing?’

“His eyes scared me, I’ve never seen him like that before. It was almost like a frenzy.

“The first thing he did was slit my throat. I have other slices and lacerations. In the kitchen I remember the knife going into my side.

“I thought ‘holy c***, I’m in trouble here’ when I felt the knife going in.

“I got the knife away from him a couple of times, I was desperately trying to get the knife off him.

“It was fight or flight.”

Detectives asked her if there was anything unusual about Hanley’s behaviour that day, or whether she had seen him make any phone calls, she told them she could not remember.

She did tell officers that both she and Hanley occasionally took drugs including cannabis and cocaine.

In her second video interview, she said: “I’m struggling to remember half of what happened to me, it’s the bits in between, they are very fuzzy, very vague.”

Yesterday her 999 call was played, where she told the operator “I’m going to die.”

Armed police were called to the housing estate, but Hanley, of no fixed address, had fled, later handing himself in to police in Slough.

Ms Harries is expected to testify on Wednesday.

Hanley denies attempted murder. The trial continues.