Last updated 10:07, Wednesday, 01 October 2008

A Wigton man who slashed another so savagely with a knife he could have killed him has been sent to prison indefinitely.

Jamie Dixon, of Wigton: Admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and must serve at least five years in prison before being considered for parole. He had previous convictions for robbery, arson and violent disorder

Jamie Dixon, 21, will have to serve at least five years in prison before even being considered for parole.

Even then he will only be released if the authorities consider him no longer to be a danger to the public.

Carlisle Crown Court heard that Dixon, of Burnside, Wigton, had attacked 41-year-old Paul Edgar with a blade he kept in his pocket for “protection”.

He slashed out, leaving Mr Edgar with two serious slashes across his face - one from the top of his nose, across his eyelid and down his cheek, which needed 11 stitches, and the other from his forehead and down behind his ear.

Mr Edgar also suffered four puncture wounds in his ribcage and a slash under his armpit.

Prosecutor Gerard Rogerson told the court the incident happened on the evening of June 8 after the two men met by chance in the street in Wigton.

Mr Edgar thought Dixon had previously stolen his father’s fishing tackle and complained about it.

When Mr Edgar confronted him about it, Dixon began slashing out “at random”, striking several blows before running away.

Mr Edgar went home, and didn’t realise he had been seriously hurt until he felt the blood running down the back of his head and “pumping” out of his neck, Mr Rogerson said.

In a statement to the police Mr Edgar said later: “It’s quite frightening thinking what could have happened.”

Dixon, who had previous convictions for robbery, arson and violent disorder, pleaded guilty to wounding Mr Edgar with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

His barrister Andrew Ford said that, despite being someone who is “capable of being dangerous”, Dixon was not all bad.

“There is some good in him,” he said. “There must come a time for him to have the chance to grow up.”

Judge Peter Hughes QC told Dixon: “You could quite easily have caused him a fatal injury. When you chose to use that knife and slash with it at random you did not know what you were going to do.”

The judge said Mr Edgar had done nothing to provoke such violence.

“He was prepared to confront somebody using fists and punches,” he said.

What he was not prepared for was someone carrying, and being prepared to use, a knife.”