A knifeman left his housemate with a horrific gaping chest wound after a 'childish' row over his financial contribution to the home.
James Greenall had been friends with Lee Cowling for years and was living with him when trouble suddenly flared over money. Things escalated and an arrangement was made to fight.
But when the pair and Lee's brother, Jake Cowling, clashed in Sunderland, Greenall ended up stabbing Lee three times with a Stanley knife, leaving him with a 30cm wound to his chest and other injuries, while Jake was also injured.
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Kevin Wardlaw, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court Greenall and the brothers were at Lee's home on January 10. He said: "Initially there was no issue between them however the defendant began to complain about the cost of things which caused animosity due to Lee being generous to him. It resulted in what Lee described as a stupid argument."
Greenhall left and there were some texts and all three showed a willingness to fight, the court heard. They ended up on the opposite sides of Grey Street, in Hendon, Sunderland, where Greenhall threw a hammer at Lee, who threw it back before running over and punching him.
Mr Wardlaw said: "A struggle ensued and Lee Cowling thought he had been punched but he had in fact been slashed with a knife. Jake Cowling got involved and he received a wound to his stomach."
Greenhall fled after Jake kneed him in the face. The court heard the brothers had a knuckle duster and baton between them.
Lee suffered a laceration to his chest which exposed the inside of his chest cavity. He also had wounds to his shoulder, neck and scalp. Sentencing Greenall, Recorder Mark Giuliani said: "The paramedics couldn't find any blood pressure and it was clear he was close to death. They had to intervene with frozen plasma and red blood cells."
In a victim impact statement, Lee said: "I'm still in shock at what happened. I can't believe my friend did this.
"I genuinely thought I was going to die. I'm so anxious and feel I've no option but to leave the area and find somewhere else to live.
"I don't feel like me anymore, I'm in constant pain and the scars will be a constant reminder of what happened. Never in a million years did I expect to nearly die at the hands of someone I called a friend."
Jake's wound to his abdomen was superficial. He said: "The incident left me totally shocked. My brother could have been killed over a petty argument. I still can't believe he could do this after all these years."
Greenhall, 30, of Athol Road, Hendon, Sunderland, who has 15 previous convictions, including for violence, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful wounding and possessing a knife and a hammer. He was jailed for three years.
Chris Knox, defending, said: "There was a dispute between friends which was silly and childish. Nobody was innocent.
"This is, sadly, something that started as a break-up between friends and escalated beyond anything any of them intended."
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