A HOMELESS man who slashed a town centre drinker in a knife attack in the early hours of the morning has been jailed for five years and four months.

Stuart Barnes brandished a sharp retractable Stanley knife during the 5am fracas outside Debenhams on Sunday June 24.

And as he lashed out with the blade the 32-year-old left his victim, who was making his way home following a night out, with a deep wound to his left arm.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how the victim had just had a disagreement with a friend and was sitting alone on a bench outside Greggs.

He was aware of a group of homeless people in the subway under Fleming Way and heard one of them shouting ‘What are you looking at?’.

She said “He replied something to the effect of ‘Have you got a problem’. As soon as he said that he saw someone from the group come out and running towards him.”

The court saw CCTV footage looking out from H&M where Barnes, in a grey hoodie, rushes towards the victim who is walking forward with his hands raised.

The pair then square off against each other and the knife-wielding defendant is seen to cast a couple of blows towards the T-shirt wearing man.

After he refused to back down the brief confrontation ended when Barnes walked away leaving his victim nursing his injury.

The 22-year-old suffered a deep cut to his left arm which led to him losing around half a pint of blood and needing numerous stitches.

Miss Hingston said as a result of the injury he lost out on a job he was due to start in a warehouse and was told the cut narrowly missed the main artery in his lower arm.

When he was questioned the defendant said he thought the other man may be armed, though the footage showed he had bare arms and nothing in his hands.

Barnes, of Shire Court, Kingshill, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possessing a bladed article.

Emma Handslip, defending, said that her client

had been addicted to hard drugs for 16 years and homeless for 10 until he managed to get a flat earlier this year. But after dealers moved in on him and he started selling for them he moved out and had been living rough for a few weeks before the offence.

Jailing him Judge Robert Pawson said “You are 32 and you have managed over the course of the last few years to rack up 52 convictions for 99 offences.

“I have seen from the CCTV, what happened. In the early hours of the morning, it being light at that time of the year, you confronted your victim.“You took out a retractable Stanley knife, you approached him. He was wearing a T-shirt, it was broad daylight. He clearly wasn’t carrying anything."

“It was a mistake on his part to put his fists up but you were clearly seeking some sort of confrontation.

“You missed the arties in his left arm by a whisker. The public has mounting concerns over knife offences with young men in public as they kill people, Mr Barnes.”