A SWINDON man, who slashed his former best friend with a knife after meeting him in the street, has been jailed for 18 months.

Simon Pritchard had already fallen out with his victim after his girlfriend had a fling with him when they had briefly separated.

When the 24-year-old got back with her and she fell pregnant, Pritchard claimed former friend Darryl Sigrist had been taunting him about who the child’s father was.

As a result, Pritchard became paranoid, the court heard. He feared he was going to be attacked, and so he took to carrying a kitchen knife with him.

Then one evening two years ago, as he was going to work as a taxi, Pritchard saw Mr Sigrist, who was buying headache pills.

Pritchard confronted him asking what his problem was and telling him to leave him and his brother to leave him alone.

He then produced the knife, and raised his hand with the weapon.

Mr Sigrist went to push his attacker away, but Pritchard brought the weapon down, the blade catching him on the wrist.

Pritchard ran from the scene, discarding the knife as he went, leaving his old friend with blood spurting violently from his wrist.

A passer-by came to his assistance and called for an ambulance. Mr Sigrist went to hospital where he had surgery under anaesthetic, having 11 stitches as well as more to an artery.

Although the injury has healed, Mr Sigrist has been left with a bad scar, the court heard.

Pritchard, of Cricklade Road, pleaded not guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent and grievous bodily harm.

Following a trial earlier this year, a jury found him guilty of a lesser charge of grievous bodily harm and not guilty to the more serious count.

Marcus Davey, defending, said his client was not a violent man and had been provoked by repeated comments, not only in the street but also on-line.

“Unlike many men who stand before you, Simon Pritchard does not like violence: he does not seek violence out,” he said.

“Violence to him is rather an abhorrent thing: he is a shy introverted man who likes his own company and that of his close friends.

“The point of me emphasising that is he is highly unlikely to appear before these courts again.”

Since the incident, Mr Davey said the child was born, but sadly died after six months from cot death. His client was currently on anti-depressants.

Jailing him, Judge Euan Ambrose said: “There was evidence at trial that the two Sigrist brothers had seen you in town and that they had taunted you and that their tone had been aggressive. Evidence not just from you, but other witnesses.

“But they did not harm you in any way. There was no physical aspect to this, and the extent of the threat was very modest.Your response to what was actually going on was totally disproportionate.”