A MICROBIOLOGIST who makes vaccines waked free from court yesterday after being cleared of attempting to murder a man with a meat cleaver.

Jiang Tao Ma, 41, of Dundasvale Court, claimed he was acting in self defence.

At the High Court in Glasgow he was found not guilty of a murder bid on 42-year-old chef Song Mao Zhou by striking him on the head and neck with a meat cleaver on November 29, 2018, at 14 Heathwood Drive, Thornliebank.

Judge Lord Harrower told Dr Ma: “You have been acquitted of the charge against you and are free to go.”

The jury cleared him after deliberating for 15 minutes.

In evidence Dr Ma, who has a PhD, denied being a violent man and stated: “I was protecting myself” and added: “I make vaccines.”

Dr Ma told jurors he came home at 3pm to find Mr Zhou, who he had never met before, in his house.

Mr Ma said he went into the kitchen and grabbed the traditional Chinese cleaver, which he used for cooking, to ward off Mr Zhou.

He told the jury: “He came towards me and I was shouting ‘Don’t come to me’ I had the knife in my hand. I didn’t want him to come close. I was just waving it to scare him off.

“I thought he was going to kill me. I just picked it up to protect myself.”

He said that Mr Zhou was unarmed, but added: “He was really aggressive. He tried to grab the knife and we were struggling. I just closed my eyes.”

He said he did not know how Mr Zhou, who suffered a fractured skull and slashes to his neck, came by his injuries.

Dr Ma told the jury he suffered an injury to his left wrist, which caused nerve damage and said it only has 80 per cent movement in it..

He claimed that after the struggle Mr Song laughed at him and said: “You will go away for three years.”

Mr Zhou told the court he was at Dr Ma’s house because he was in a relationship with his wife Wenjau Chen.

He was asked by prosecutor Mark McGuire: “Just before you met the accused where had you been,” and he replied: “I was upstairs with his wife.”

Mr McGuire then asked: “Was the accused aware of your relationship with his wife,” and he replied: “Maybe he knew.”

Mr Zhou said that he told Mr Ma that he was in the house to fix a lock.

He c aimed Dr Ma initially invited him to the kitchen for a drink, but then produced n a large meat cleaver and attacked him.

Mr Zhou said: “I was hit by the knife and I could see blood. I tried to grab his hand with the knife. It took all my force. We were struggling.”

When Dr Ma was asked by Mr McGuire: “This man was coming downstairs and he had been having an affair with your wife did that not make you angry,” and he replied: “No, because I didn’t believe what he said.”