A man accused of a knife attack in Hickory's restaurant in Rhos-on-Sea was accused of making up a story that he picked up cutlery only so he could self-harm.

Dalton Morrisey is standing trial for the attempted murder of Gareth Edwards, a stranger who he is alleged to have launched a frenzied attack upon in the restaurant toilets on August 10 last year.

Morrisey had taken the knives and a fork off a table at the restaurant and the prosecution allege he used one of the knives in the attack on Mr Edwards who suffered 25 stab wounds, one of which punctured his lung.

“This business of self-harm is something that you thought up afterwards,” prosecuting barrister Elen Owen suggested.

“You thought up this story of taking the knife to curry sympathy. What you were really feeling was a terrible bout of rage wasn’t it?

“Somebody had annoyed you and you flipped wasn’t it?

“Isn’t it the truth that you were lying in wait so that you could take your anger out on someone else. The hapless Mr Edwards was standing with his back to you at the urinals – he was the first person you had the chance to take your anger out on wasn’t it?”

Morrisey has told the court he had been gripped by a depression and said his mood deteriorated during the evening after he met two friends in the bar to watch a Manchester United game on TV.

But the prosecutor said his account was at odds with his police interview on arrest when he did not reveal his mental health problems when asked if he had any.

The court was told that Morrisey had twice answered “no” to questions about whether he suffered from depression and anxiety or whether he had ever tried to harm himself when they were put to him in the custody suite.

“I’m going to suggest that talk of self-harm in the toilets just isn’t true. If it was why didn’t you mention that in your 40-minute interview with police,” asked Ms Owen.

The prosecutor suggested to Morrisey he was now claiming his victim had taken the knives into the toilet.

“It was you that took the knives in, but you are blaming Mr Edwards for taking the knife into the toilet aren’t you?” said Ms Owen.

Morrisey replied: “I’m saying I don’t know, I was disorientated.”

But Ms Owen pressed: “You carried on repeatedly stabbing him and he put his hands to push you out of the way. You actually succeeded in stabbing him 25 times.”

Morrisey said: “I didn’t think I had done that many, I’ve only found out this week.”

Whereupon the prosecutor questioned: “He (Mr Edwards) said you tried twice as many times, do you accept that you may have done that?”

But Morrisey replied: “No, I just don’t believe I did it 50/60 times.”

The jury has heard that Morrisey’s demeanour may have been affected when his attempt to chat up a woman at Hickory’s bar ended in him being warned off by another restaurant-goer, but not Mr Edwards.

Morrisey told the police officer who arrested him in nearby Second Avenue that “some guy has annoyed me”.

“You were angry weren’t you. Was it not that you felt rage,” questioned Ms Owen.

Morrisey claimed he can only remember inflicting “the first couple of blows” with the knife on Mr Edwards.

He told the court: “I don’t like violence or conflict. I was devastated when it happened. I’ve never been in trouble before I just can’t believe that I inflicted these injuries on Mr Edwards.”

Morrisey, 26, of Pen Y Cwm, Llandudno denies attempted murder. He has previously admitted wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article.

The trial continues.