A violent Suffolk man who slashed another man’s face with a modelling knife causing cuts which needed more than 20 stitches has been jailed for nine years.

John Read, from Bury St Edmunds, put a glove on his hand before attacking Wayne Gill in the Wagon and Horses pub in Newmarket, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Mr Gill was standing at the bar in the pub when he heard the sound of a knife opening and then saw a gloved hand coming towards him, said Martin Ivory, prosecuting.

He was cut on the cheek and was then cut on the shoulder and the right hand as he put his arms up to protect his face,

Mr Gill picked up a stool and lunged at Read and then realised he was badly injured and bleeding heavily, said Mr Ivory.

He was taken to hospital where he had 14 stitches in a 7cm cut on his cheek and five stitches to his mouth. He was also found to have two significant cuts to his fingers which couldn’t be stitched because of where they were situated.

Read, 48, of Willoway Park, Bury St Edmunds admitted wounding Mr Gill with intent to do him grievous bodily harm in September last year. Jailing him for nine years with a five year extended licence period Judge John Holt said he posed a significant risk to members of the public of serious harm by the commission of violent offences in the future.

He said although there was a background of ill feeling between the two men the attack on Mr Gill on the night in question was unprovoked.

Hugh Vass for Read said there had been bad blood between the two men and Read had felt more strongly about it than Mr Gill.

He said that Read had not gone out armed with a knife and had borrowed it from a friend prior to the attack.

Mr Vass said his client apologised for his behaviour and wanted to make sure he didn’t reoffend in the same way in the future.