Two men who were involved in a brutal attack on a Suffolk man who was stabbed in the chest three times, had part of his ear bitten off and had a screwdriver forced into his mouth have been jailed for a total of 15 years.

Karl Doyle was left bleeding and unconscious on the sofa of his home in Ridley Road, Bury St Edmunds after being attacked by Richard McClenaghen and Jamie Turner in November last year, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The two men had gone to see Mr Doyle to get information about a friend who had died from a drugs overdose at Mr Doyle’s premises.

Jailing Turner for ten years and McClenaghen for five years Judge John Holt said:”Mr Doyle wasn’t responsible in any way for the death but you remained concerned he may have played a role.”

Mr Doyle had answered a knock at his door during the afternoon of November 3 and was immediately hit in the face. His front door was pushed open knocking him backwards and he was then repeatedly punched in the face and kicked by Turner who said:”We are going to kill you for killing our friend”, said Marcus Croskell, prosecuting.

Turner had then told McClenaghen:”Get a knife from the kitchen and slice him up” and after returning from the kitchen with a black handled knife McClenaghen had stabbed Mr Doyle in the chest three times.

He also bit the top off Mr Doyle’s ear and had forced a screwdriver into his mouth, said Mr Croskell.

The incident came to an end when Mr Doyle’s mobile phone started ringing and Turner and McClenaghen left Mr Doyle, who lost consciousness, on the sofa.

The police were alerted by a neighbour and Mr Doyle was taken to hospital where he was found to have three stab wounds to his chest, a collapsed lung, bruising and swelling to his face and part of his ear was missing.

Turner, 43, of Caie Walk, Bury St Edmunds and McClenaghen, 47, of no fixed address admitted wounding Mr Doyle with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm . Turner was jailed for ten years and McClenaghen, who gave assistance to the police and pleaded guilty at an early stage of the proceedings, was jailed for five years.

Andrew Shaw for Turner said his client had kicked and punched Mr Doyle and had instructed his co-defendant to get a knife, but had not stabbed him.

He said Turner had been diagnosed with Huntington’s disease.

Ian James for McClenaghen said his client had been drinking and keeping bad company at the time of the offence and hadn’t gone to Mr Doyle’s address intending what happened to happen. “There was an element of him being caught up in the moment,” said Mr James.