Ex-Beatle George Harrison and his wife Olivia were attacked early today by a knife-wielding intruder.

Mr Harrison, 56, was stabbed in the chest after the break-in at his mansion in Henley-on-Thames at about 3.30am, his spokesman Geoff Baker said.

Thames Valley Police said a man was being questioned on suspicion of attempted murder following the incident at Friar Park, Mr Harrison's palatial home.

The couple were both in hospital this morning and were "stable but in pain", Mr Baker said. Unconfirmed reports said Mr Harrison was stabbed four times and his wife was hit over the head. The intruder is believed to have suffered head injuries. A police spokesman said: "Police were called to Friar Park at around 3.30am after reports of an intruder.

"A man and a woman were attacked and injured in their own home.

"A man has been arrested and is being held on suspicion of attempted murder."

Mr Harrison and his wife grappled with the intruder, believed to be a 33-year-old Liverpool man, and it is thought they were able to detain him until police arrived.

The man was taken for treatment to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, and released into police custody. The Harrisons have lived at Friar Park, a former nunnery close to the centre of historic Henley, for more than 20 years.

Security at the walled estate is tight with lodge houses at the entrances. The estate is also close to Henley's police station.

The attack came almost exactly 20 years after fellow Beatle John Lennon was shot dead by a stalker outside his New York apartment.

Mr Harrison has been married twice. On January 21, 1966, he married Patricia Ann Boyd, a model whom he had met on the set of the Beatles movie "A Hard Day's Night." Patti played one of the schoolgirls on the train and had one line: "Prisoners?" Their divorce was finalised on June 9, 1977. He met his current wife, Olivia Trinidad Arias, around 1974. They married in 1978 and have a son, Dhani - pronounced Danny - born the same year.

Mr Harrison was plagued by threats that his £3m home would be fire bombed three years ago. He was warned in December 1996 that a deranged Amercian had been stalking him.

Neighbour Nathan Darrah said today the community would be shocked by the stabbing.

Story date: Thursday 30 December

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.