by Keith Hunt

Two thugs have been jailed for a total of 25 years for a vicious knife attack that left their victim with 12 wounds.

Drunk Tony Martin and Colin Allen erupted with anger at a Sittingbourne flat over a trivial argument about tobacco.

Martin grabbed a knife and passed it to Allen, who then stabbed 45-year-old David Willson in the head, neck and body.

Afterwards, they boasted: "We have done the ----."

They were originally charged with attempted murder but their guilty plea to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm was accepted.

Calling it an "horrific attack", a judge on Wednesday jailed Martin, 48, for 12 years and Allen, also 48, for 13 years.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the three men and others had been drinking in the cemetery off the High Street on November 16 last year.

They then went to Martin and Allen's flat at Harkness Court, Murston, buying more alcohol on the way.

Deepak Kapur, prosecuting, said it was suggested they should play a game with a knife. Mr Willson decided to leave when Martin and Allen bragged they had been to prison.

He could not find his tobacco and asked where it was. The next he recalled was finding himself on the floor being attacked.

Witness Henry Skeels later told police Martin picked up the knife and handed it to Allen, who stabbed the victim in the head and neck three times, shouting: "I am going to f------ kill you."

Mr Willson was screaming: "Help, help." More wounds and punches were inflicted.

The statement continued: "This was a totally unprovoked and nasty attack on Dave, who did nothing to them except ask for his tobacco back. I thought they were going to kill him."

Mr Willson managed to get out of the flat and stagger to the police station, before being taken to hospital.

Officers followed a trail of blood back to the flat and forced their way in. They were confronted by Allen brandishing a hammer but both men were arrested.

Mr Willson suffered a deep wound to his right cheek up to 12cm long. He had 11 other stab wounds and a broken nose.

Allen was jailed at the Old Bailey for 13 years in July 1994 for armed robbery of building societies.