A MAN from Salisbury has been jailed for six years for his part in an “appalling” and “horrific” knife attack that left the victim seriously injured.

Martin Luke Mawson, 26, admitted aiding and abetting Jason Lee Thorne, who was jailed for ten years in October for causing grievous bodily harm with intent, by buying the knife he used in the 2011 attack.

Winchester Crown Court heard today that Mawson bought the craft knife on Thorne’s behalf as he was “the oldest and most sober” in their group and thought it wouldn’t be used.

But Thorne, 22, of Rambridge Crescent, used the weapon to attack his former girlfriend’s new partner, leaving the 23-year-old from Fordingbridge with cuts as deep as his ribs.

The victim has since made a full recovery but has been left scarred by the incident.

The court heard Mawson, of Coldharbour Lane, was “deeply remorseful and disgusted” by what happened.

He thought the knife would only be used as a deterrent and that Thorne had arranged to meet the victim in Cow Lane, Salisbury to “sort out their differences”.

Sentencing, Judge Keith Cutler said: “You should have been the one to stop it, and on mature reflection that is what your actions should have been. “Without that knife it would not have happened; he would not have suffered those appalling and horrific injuries.”

Temporary Detective Sergeant Glenn Atkinson, from Wiltshire Police, said: “The victim sustained deep lacerations to his back which required hospital treatment and it is fortunate that he has made a full recovery. We are pleased with the sentence imposed today which reflects the seriousness of this offence and we hope that it will act as a deterrent to others.”