A man who knifed a teenager after accusing him of burgling his girlfriend's home while he was away serving a custodial sentence has been jailed for 27 months.

Dean Nightingale got into a struggle with 19-year-old Jason Priest while he was baby-sitting his four-year-old brother. The terrified victim grabbed a kitchen knife in a bid to scare off Nightingale but it ended up buried in his side and penetrated his liver. Mr Priest, of Acre Lane, Droitwich, spent three weeks in hospital recovering.

Judge John Cavell told Nightingale, a 25-year-old plumber, that because of previous trouble he had gone to Mr Priest's home "to sort it out physically".

Neighbour Mrs Valerie Mason saw Mr Priest trying to escape through his front door. But a hand pulled him back in by the neck and the door was slammed shut.

She heard a struggle going on followed by shouts for help and dialled 999.

The judge said her independent evidence showed that Nightingale was "the aggressor" and added that the victim could have died.

Nightingale's trial at Worcester Crown Court was stopped on the third day when references to his prison term were accidentally left in his police statement, which was read to the jury.

An earlier trial was also abandoned when Mr Priest also referred to Nightingale's prison sentence as he was giving evidence.

A retrial was considered but last Thursday Nightingale, formerly of Swallow Place, Droitwich, and now living in Birmingham, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding.

He had denied the more serious charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and was given a not guilty verdict.