A MAN was stabbed with a kitchen knife during a late night spat between neighbours.

Matthew Blunt, 39, grabbed a kitchen knife and went to his neighbour’s home and stabbed Gary Hall, although he later told police he only intended to scare Mr Hall and never meant to hurt him.

Blunt, of Gloucester Ropewalk, Aycliffe, near Dover, appeared for sentence at Canterbury Crown Court having been cleared of wounding Mr Hall intending to cause grievous bodily harm, but admitted unlawful wounding in March, 2004.

He was sentenced to 12 months, suspended for 18 months and ordered to pay £2,200 compensation to Mr Hall.

Blunt and his partner had been out on the night of March 27, 2004, and returned home to Cornwallis Avenue, Aylehsam.

When told about an incident involving their children, Blunt’s partner decided to confront Mr Hall’s partner.

The resultant scuffle was broken up by Hall and Blunt and his partner, Sarah Paul, ended up on the floor.

Blunt then went to his kitchen, returning to Mr Hall’s home with the knife, which he thrust through the front door when it was opened.

Mr Hall was stabbed in the right side and the knife was prised out of Blunt’s hands by another neighbour.

As a result of his injury, Mr Hall, a delivery driver, was off work for six weeks.

Deanna Heer, defending, conceded the use of a knife was always serious and Blunt had misread the situation.

He believed he was acting in his partner’s defence but had never sought to justify it being right.

Judge Michael O’Sullivan told Blunt he was sentencing him on the basis of recklessness and because of exceptional circumstances, felt able to suspend the sentence.

“You misread the situation, thinking your partner had been attacked, which was not the case.

“You wanted to get at Mr Hall and you accept you were wrong and wanted to scare him but it went horribly wrong,” said Judge O’Sullivan.