Sir Paul McCartney was tonight understood to be preparing a fierce defence of his character after newspaper reports detailed shocking allegations about his marriage to Heather Mills.

The Daily Mail quoted leaked documents that it claimed had been lodged at court, allegedly prepared by Lady McCartney, which accused Sir Paul of attacking her, taking drugs and drinking heavily.

The newspaper also published claims that the 64-year-old singer failed to make allowances for her disability. The former model lost a leg in a road accident in 1993.

The development marked a new low in the divorce battle for the former Beatle's £825 million fortune.

The papers described in The Daily Mail accuse Sir Paul of attacking his wife four times during their four-year marriage.

Among a catalogue of claims, Lady McCartney is reported to allege that Sir Paul stabbed her in the arm with a broken wine glass, tried to choke her, forbade her from having an operation because it clashed with his holiday plans and called her an "ungrateful bitch".

Lady McCartney claimed that her husband was so dismissive to her disability that she was left to crawl to the lavatory and up to the stairs of an aircraft when no arrangements had been made to admit her wheelchair, the newspaper reported.

The newspaper reported that when Lady McCartney realised that the marriage was "irretrievably broken down" in April this year, she was reduced to leaving the family home "crawling on her hands and knees while dragging her wheelchair, crutches and her personal possessions".

The latest outbreak of accusation and cross-accusation forms the latest chapter in the most high-profile British separation since the breakdown of the marriage of the Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, ten years ago.

In the run-up to the court battle over Sir Paul's fortune the McCartneys have hired the lawyers that represented the royal couple while press reports have carried interviews with both parties.

In August, Sir Paul changed the locks of his house, leaving Lady McCartney stranded outside, an incident that was photographed by the press. Sir Paul accused his wife of arranging the scene. Lady McCartney has accused her husband of leaking stories that described her as rude to their household staff.

Lady McCartney has hired Anthony Julius, who was Diana's lawyer and secured a £17 million settlement, while Fiona Shackleton, who acted for the Prince of Wales, will be in Sir Paul’s corner. Nicholas Mostyn, QC, whose successes have earned him the nickname Mr Payout, is also on Sir Paul’s legal team.

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