Freeman is charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent on Williamson during a fight in the Duntryleague Golf Club car park in July last year.

Williamson told the court on the night of the assault he had opened his car door to drive out of the car park when he saw Freeman come out of the bushes.

“He was coming at me with an aggressive, contorted face with his hands out in front and muttering in a semi-rage,” Williamson said.

“I felt I was going to get hammered as he is bigger and fitter than me and I had no chance.

“I hit him a couple of times to [make him] get a away.”

Williamson then showed the court how he used two slashing motions with the fish stunner to strike out at Freeman.

Williamson said he let his guard down as he believed Freeman would stop, but he found himself pushed on to his back and the fish stunner wrestled from his grip.

“He [Freeman] was white hot with rage and it was a ferocious, uncontrolled belting,” he said.

“I could feel myself going limp and fading - I was fighting for my life.”

Freeman’s barrister Bill Walsh  told the jury his client, who has pleaded not guilty, was acting in self-defence after Williamson landed the first blows.

The assault incident left both men in hospital, Williamson collapsing at the scene with a fractured skull and Freeman later collapsing at the Orange police station from head lacerations.

Crown prosecutor Michael Fox told the jury the men had been work colleagues and friends at the Department of Primary Industries for about 15 years before the incident but had fallen out after Williamson suspected his then wife of having an affair with Freeman.

Williamson told the jury of instances where he had followed his wife before and after they were separated, once on a walk in the Green Lane area and on another occasion to Campbell’s Corner where he said his former wife’s vehicle and Freeman’s were parked side by side in an isolated spot.

The jury was handed two exhibits - the fish stunner to examine, along with photographs taken on the night of the assault.

Judge Peter Whitford instructed the jury not to visit any of the locations  relevant to the case mentioned in court yesterday and to ignore any media reports on the case.

Williamson will continue giving evidence on Wednesday.