A thug who repeatedly stabbed a homeless man as he slept rough had told police he was hearing voices urging him to hurt somebody, a court heard.

Stephen Nowlan also warned a mental health nurse that because of his paranoia he visualised cutting the throats of two men.

The 34-year-old was jailed for 11 years and three months today under an extended sentence for public protection.

Nowlan, of Canterbury Street, Gillingham, will be on licence for a further four years and will not be released until the parole board decides it is safe to do so.

He was originally charged with attempted murder but his guilty plea to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm was accepted.

Nowlan’s victim, Rafal Zieminski, suffered life-threatening injuries in the ferocious attack on the Great Lines in Gillingham and is now permanently disabled.

The 40-year-old Pole had been sleeping on a mattress next to bushes by Brompton Academy on the edge of the park.

Prosecutor Martin Yale told Maidstone Crown Court Mr Zieminski had been into the town on August 18 last year before returning to the spot to sleep at about 8pm.

He was lying on the mattress when Nowlan pounced without warning and inflicted about 15 wounds to his head, neck, back, chest, arm and hand.

Another homeless man, Tomas Salomskas, was relieving himself in bushes when he saw a man wearing a grey hoodie - later identified as Nowlan - walking towards him.

He asked how he could get through the bushes and Mr Salomskas showed him. He headed off in the direction of Medway Hospital.

As Mr Salomskas passed the mattress he saw it was covered in blood.

Mr Yale said the victim had managed to shuffle some distance on his buttocks to try to get help. His face was bloody.

Others went to his aid. One of them, Jonathan Pendergast-Peek, called the emergency services and applied pressure to the wounds with his T-shirt.

They included a gaping wound to the neck and he had a collapsed lung.

Paramedics arrived and he was taken to King’s College Hospital in London for emergency surgery.

Mr Yale said Mr Zieminski was likely to have permanent disability in his right wrist from nerve damage.

The attack had affected his mental health. He was discharged from hospital on September 26 and admitted to the mental health unit at Medway Hospital.

CCTV footage was pieced together and Nowlan was identified. When interviewed he denied being responsible for the attack but said he sometimes walked his dog on the Great Lines.

"This was a chilling incident where Nowlan had left his victim for dead, suffering multiple stab wounds..." - Det Sgt Adam Marshall

Mr Yale said Nowlan’s motive appeared to be his belief that his girlfriend had been sexually assaulted by the victim.

Nine days before the stabbing he approached some people camping in the park and told them he was looking for a homeless man who had hurt his wife and son.

“He said he was going to cut him up or hurt him badly,” said Mr Yale. “He said he would not be able to walk again after he had finished with him. He showed them a machete and a knife.”

Nowlan was sentenced to 18 months youth custody in February 1998 for wounding with intent after stabbing a man twice in the back.

He had also been caught in possession of knives and a homemade knuckleduster and cosh.

In May 2013 he called police about voices in his head telling him to hurt people and said he hurt himself instead.

In July that year he told a mental health nurse about visualising cutting throats.

He was to tell a community mental health nurse he was still carrying weapons and had stabbed someone on the Great Lines.

“He said he was stashing weapons in different places,” said Mr Yale. “It demonstrates his attitude towards weapons and their use.”

Danny Moore, defending, told the judge: “The realities of this case are not lost on the defendant. He is not sitting in prison not caring about what he did. He is very remorseful for his actions that day.

“It is a combination of historic amphetamine abuse coupled with an unstable personality disorder. That is no mitigation, of course, in the commission of the offence.

“He is balanced now in custody. He is undertaking relevant courses and medication is being given to him.”

"There was severe blood loss and his life was in danger. He remains permanently disabled..." - Judge Charles MacDonald QC

Judge Charles Macdonald QC said Nowlan’s belief his girlfriend had been attacked by the victim was groundless and misconceived.

“The injuries were severe,” he said. “There was severe blood loss and his life was in danger. He remains permanently disabled.

“The offence is aggravated by being under the influence of drugs. Remorse is expressed but is in doubt due to the view of the pre-sentence report writer.”

Judge Macdonald said there was evidence of “an unhealthy interest in knives”.

He added: “I have no hesitation in finding you present a serious risk of harm to the public.”

After the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Adam Marshall said: "This was a chilling incident where Nowlan had left his victim for dead, suffering multiple stab wounds.

"Fortunately the victim was spotted after he dragged himself along the ground and out of the long grass. He spent months in hospital recovering from the harrowing ordeal.

"A team of detectives spent hours reviewing local CCTV footage to eliminate suspects and identify the offender. We continued to pursue lines of enquiries until we identified a suspect.

"We believe Nowlan committed the attack under the mistaken belief that the victim had harmed someone known to him.

"In interview Nowlan answered 'no comment' to all questions and denied being involved in the incident in a statement he had prepared.

"He continued to deny the stabbing after being charged. Investigators continued to build a file of evidence against Nowlan and eight months after the incident, he admitted causing grievous bodily harm.

"I would like to thank each and every member of the public who responded to our appeal for information and helped ensure that this offender was brought to justice."