A man accused of a horror knife attack on a teenage couple claimed he was at home watching television with his wife and children, a court heard.

Ian Haywood, 37, allegedly tried to murder and rape a 17-year-old girl after dragging the teenager and her 19-year-old boyfriend from his car parked at Ditchling Common.

But the father-of-four claimed he stayed at home all night, except for a 15-minute outing to buy cigarettes from a nearby garage.

The following day he visited his secret lover but chose to hand himself in at a police station after seeing his name on a television news bulletin, jurors heard yesterday.

He was arrested and quizzed by Brighton police the day after the savage attack last January, which left the girl with 35 injuries needing 150 stitches.

Haywood's interview with DC Neil Cuttriss was yesterday read to jurors at the Old Bailey.

Asked what his involvement was in the incident, Haywood replied: "There is no involvement in any of those matters."

He told how he picked up his daughter from school with his wife Anne, 36, and returned to their home in Willow Way, Hurstpierpoint, where they live together with their son and twins.

He told police: "I cooked myself some pork with mushy peas and a ham and pasta bake for Anne and the children.

"After tea we went through to the living room and we watched telly. I think we watched the children's Robin Hood video.

"Then Anne started getting the twins ready for bed. I put the kids' toys away and they went to bed.

"We then watched a film, Wild Rain with Morgan Freeman."

The prosecution claim at this time he was attacking the courting teenagers as they sat in their car at Ditchling Common.

He is said to have knocked out the boy and dumped him in the boot of their car and then knifed the girl when she refused to take her clothes off.

Haywood told officers he and his wife watched a documentary about life on Mars at around 9pm before leaving the house 45 minutes later.

He said he drove to a local garage in his bronze-coloured BMW, bought a pack of cigarettes and returned home before he and his wife went to bed at 11pm.

The following morning he said he drove to Brighton to visit his girlfriend, but refused to reveal her identity.

Haywood spent the day with her before seeing a Meridian news bulletin while watching television at her home.

He said: "I basically saw my name mentioned and saw something about being approached by armed officers.

"My first thought was to go home. I made my excuses and said I had to go.

"As I was leaving I thought: 'Hang about - armed police officers? I've got kids at home'."

Haywood said he parked his car at another beauty spot and asked his girlfriend to pick him up.

He said: "I just parked there and sat there and thought: 'What the hell am I going to do?'

"I was trying to think what to do. I couldn't go home if they've got armed police - I've got kids there."

His lover drove him to Brighton police station where he was arrested for the attack on the young couple.

Testifying against Haywood, his wife Anne has described how he left the family home in the early evening and returned wearing blood-stained clothes.

She said he disposed of the clothes and a kitchen knife before cleaning his car and calmly watching a TV documentary at around 9pm.

Mrs Haywood said she "felt numb" when he returned home and confessed 'I've done a young couple.'

Haywood denies attempted murder, attempted rape, false imprisonment and two counts of attempted robbery on January 18 last year.

The trial continues.