A YOUNG man “instinctively” stabbed an older man with a single swipe that put his victim in hospital for a week.

Joseph Bridgeman, who was today jailed for four years and 10 months, had come to his friend’s aid after they were challenged by a mum, her son and a family friend in Royal Wootton Bassett last September.

The 21-year-old produced a knife after being assaulted by the family friend and stabbed him in the side. The knife, which had a blade estimated to be eight to 12 inches long, pierced the victim’s liver and right kidney.

Sending Bridgeman down for 58 months at Swindon Crown Court on Tuesday morning, Judge Jason Taylor QC said: “It seems you intervened and during that intervention you were struck. Your immediate reaction was to pull a knife which you’d clearly just been routinely carrying and you then stabbed that man with one swiping motion.

“Your advocate describes it as instinct. If it is, it is worrying and it amply demonstrates why it is so dangerous to carry knives.”

Swindon Advertiser:

Rylands Way, Royal Wootton Bassett Picture: GOOGLE

Earlier, prosecutor David Scutt told the court Bridgeman had been walking with his friend in Rylands Way, Royal Wootton Bassett, on September 10 last year.

The day before, his friend had allegedly attacked another young man – a member of a Wootton Bassett family with whom Bridgeman’s friend’s family had a “long-standing feud”.

On September 10, the victim of the earlier attack’s mum noticed Bridgeman and his friend walk past her front door.

CCTV played to the court showed her following the men a couple of minutes later then return with the pair. The son emerged from the house and an argument ensued.

The eventual victim of the stabbing was third to come out of the house. A family friend, he had been inside visiting.

Footage showed him removing his grey fleece as he walked down the road towards the group. He was said to have struck Bridgeman, who then produced a kitchen knife and stabbed him once to the side.

Swindon Advertiser:

Joseph Bridgeman's custody shot Picture: WILTSHIRE POLICE

The victim was taken to hospital, where a scan showed he had suffered a 4cm laceration to his liver and a laceration to his right kidney. He spent five days in hospital, much of it on the intensive care ward.

In a statement given to police at the time and read to the court by Mr Scutt, the victim said: “I feel really emotional when I think about what has happened to me. If he’s willing to do this to me I hate to think what he’d do to [anybody else].”

Bridgeman fled the scene and discarded the knife, which has never been found. He also binned his bloodstained clothing, which police recovered.

Interviewed by the police, he initially denied being at the scene then later answered no comment to questions asked of him by detectives.

Swindon Advertiser:

Swindon Crown Court

Bridgeman, of Chestnut Avenue, Tidworth, pleaded guilty last year to wounding with intent and possession of a knife.

A psychiatric report concluded that he had a personality disorder, which may potentially have affected his behaviour although he would still have been aware of what he was doing.

Rob Ross, defending, said it was clear that there had been ongoing issues between his client’s friend and the other family. The victim had approached the defendant “fairly aggressively”.

“[The victim] says that he grabbed this defendant who at that stage was, frankly, doing very little and he punched him and was clearly grappling with him when – and I think he actually says he tried to put him to the floor – when the knife was produced in one swiping movement,” he said.

Bridgeman had no previous convictions. He was remorseful and attended court on Tuesday supported by his family.

Imposing 58 months’ imprisonment, Judge Taylor said he had taken into account Bridgeman’s mental health issues in sentencing him.

He told him: “The nature and severity of your disorder merely provides context for what you did rather than a reason for what you did because, substantially in my judgement as I have already said, you made rational choices and you understood the nature and consequences of what you were doing.

“You certainly had the self-awareness to cover your tracks and mislead the police and it is also clear from what you said to probation that you made a carefully considered decision about the pros and cons of carrying a knife and decided that you should carry one.”