A Watford man has been cleared by a jury of attacking another man with a knife as they sat in a car.

Stephen Ruffolo was found not guilty by a jury at Luton crown court on Monday of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Grant Briggs and was acquitted of an alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm.

After his arrest Mr Ruffolo, 30, of Sutton Road, told officers it was the other man who had pulled the knife on him as they sat in the car.

He said in his panic to get the knife off the other man, they struggled and it was then that Mr Briggs received a deep slash wound to the elbow area of his arm.

Mr Ruffolo told the police his actions that day had been reasonable as he tried to defend himself.

During the trial the court was told how Mr Ruffolo had arranged with Mr Briggs on the morning of March 21 this year to repay him £80 that he owed him.

The men arranged to meet in Queens Road and Mr Briggs drove there in his Mercedes C180 car, accompanied by a friend.

The court heard that at around 6.15am Mr Briggs drove into Queens Road and it was on the corner of Gladstone Road that he saw the defendant and pulled up.

Mr Ruffolo got into the back and the car then moved off, coming to a halt in nearby Prince Street.

The prosecution claimed it was there, as Mr Ruffolo sat on the back seat behind Mr Briggs, who was driving, that he suddenly produced a 12 inch long knife and attacked the other man with it.

But Mr Ruffolo's account to the police later was that it was the other way round and it was Mr Briggs who had pulled the knife on him.

In the resulting struggle the wound Mr Briggs received to his left left arm was so deep that it went down to the bone through muscle and a vein.

He was treated at Watford General Hospital, but such was the severity of the wound he had to be transferred to the Royal Free Hospital in London where he underwent surgery.

Mr Ruffolo told police officers after his arrest that in his car he handed Mr Briggs £50, who was unhappy with the amount and pulled out the knife.

Mr Ruffolo said he panicked and grabbed the knife and, in the struggle, Mr Briggs suffered the injury to his arm.

He said when he got out of the car the knife was still in the vehicle and he ran off.

At his trial Mr Ruffolo elected not to give evidence.