A man stabbed two women at a hotel who were outside having a cigarette in their pyjamas, a court has heard.

Peter Cameron allegedly knifed nurse Gillian Clarke and Bernadette Lester at a vennel at the Apex Hotel in the Grassmarket, Edinburgh.

Mrs Clarke, 58, said they were having a conversation at an alley at the premises when a man appeared before Mrs Lester told him to "move on".

She told the High Court in Edinburgh he walked away but she heard her friend say: "Jesus, Gillian he is coming back."

Mrs Clarke said: "The attack just happened so fast. It was frenzied."

She thought she received two quick punches but realised she was bleeding.

Mrs Clarke added: "I lay down because I am a nurse and I knew I was bleeding very heavily. I took the black scarf that was round my neck and put it to my cheek and put pressure on it. My tongue was also bleeding and I was choking on the blood."

She said: "I remember shouting 'Bernie I'm bleeding, I'm bleeding' but Bernie shouted 'so am I'."

Mrs Lester, 61, said: "I was stabbed once behind my right arm, twice on my right shoulder, once on my chest, once behind my right ear and had five defensive wounds on my left hand that were stitched and one that wasn't stitched."

Cameron is alleged to have assaulted Mrs Lester by repeatedly striking her on the head, neck and body with a knife to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of her life and attempting to murder her.

He is also accused of attempting to murder Mrs Clark by repeatedly striking her on the head with a knife to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement, permanent impairment and to the danger of her life.

Cameron is further alleged to have attacked an employee at the hotel, Neil Robertson, by lunging at him, attempting to strike him on the head with a knife and striking him on the body with the weapon to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.

He also faces further charges alleging that he was in illegal possession of a knife and that he attempted to pervert the course of justice by disposing of items of clothing and the knife.

Mrs Lester said she and her friend arrived in Edinburgh on November 5 and were due to fly home on November 8.

On their final evening in the city, they went for dinner in the Grassmarket before going to a bar and returning to their hotel.

They got changed into pyjamas but decided to go back downstairs and went out a side door to have a cigarette.

She said: "We were talking to each other and suddenly this man appeared."

Mrs Clarke said that during the incident Mr Robertson came out the side door and tried to stop the man attacking her and her friend, but he got hurt.

After the attack she was taken to hospital to have facial wounds stitched and her tongue sutured.

She said: "The biggest impact it has had is in my confidence. I am very aware of how I look.

Mrs Lester told advocate depute Andrew Bowen QC that after returning to Northern Ireland she was off work until the beginning of March and has received counselling for post traumatic stress disorder.

The trial before judge Lady Scott continues.