A dispute over loud music being played in shared accommodation ended with a man being stabbed near the heart with scissors, a court heard.

Kurt Shaw was taken to a London hospital with a punctured lung, internal bleeding and a cut to his face.

His attacker, Michael Mayo, was also injured in the clash. He was treated for a bite to his cheek and an eye injury.

A judge said of Mr Shaw when 62-year-old Mayo appeared for sentence on Wednesday: “It is fortunate indeed that he did not die.”

Maidstone Crown Court was told both men were living in flats with communal areas in Rochester Street, Chatham.

There was a background of Mayo accusing Mr Shaw and others of taking his food.

On August 22 this year, Mr Shaw, who is epileptic, went to Mayo’s room to ask him to turn the volume of his music down.

Mayo called Mr Shaw into his room. There was an argument and Mayo launched an attack.

“Using a pair of scissors, he stabbed him just above the heart area,” said prosecutor Patrick Dennis. “He tried to get Mr Mayo off him and bit him.”

Screaming and shouting could be heard by other residents. Police were called and Mr Shaw was found covered in blood and in distress.

An officer gave him first aid while waiting for an ambulance. He was taken to hospital, where his lung had to be reinflated.

Mayo, meanwhile, was found injured in the street. He was taken to the same hospital as Mr Shaw. When arrested he claimed he acted in self-defence.

He admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm by video link with Elmley Prison in Sheppy, and his not guilty plea to causing grievous bodily harm with intent was accepted.

"An argument, which started over a petty issue got out of hand and Mayo used excessive force" - DC Rachel Ryder

Jailing him for two years, Judge Julian Smith said the difference between the charge he originally faced and the one he admitted was “very substantial indeed”.

It was difficult, he said, to determine how the fight started and how Mr Shaw came to be stabbed.

“If you stab a man in the chest you generally intend the consequences,” said the judge. “I can’t be satisfied you deliberately plunged it into his chest.

“You might think that is about as good as it is going to get for you. You were certainly struck and bitten and other injuries were caused.

“Had you punctured his heart, the likelihood is an obvious one and you would be facing a more significant charge than you do, and the consequences do not bear thinking about.”

After sentencing, DC Rachel Ryder from Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: "This was a nasty incident between two people who were known to each other.

"An argument, which started over a petty issue got out of hand and Mayo used excessive force and did not stop to think about the injuries he was inflicting upon his victim.

"I would like to reiterate that Kent Police will take all reports of crime seriously and will always thoroughly investigate in order to see that justice is done."