A knifeman dubbed "the grim reaper" by his victim has been jailed after attacking a former school pal in a town centre.

Michael Rodriguez was initially charged with attempted murder after stabbing Aleksander Dimitrov in the abdomen and near his spine with a 10-inch kitchen knife in the middle of Tunbridge Wells.

The 21-year-old victim later revealed: "The pain was the worst I have ever felt. I remember seeing all the blood coming out of me and thought I was dying.

"I wasn't scared. I was relaxed. I had accepted that this was it for me."

The court heard how on February 12 Mr Dimitrov went to Tunbridge Wells with his friend Charley White for lunch.

They parked in the car park outside Fenwick at around 1.15pm and were walking along Goods Station Road.

Prosecutor Patrick Dennis said: "The defendant was coincidentally walking the other way towards the victim and his friend. However he was armed with a 10-inch kitchen knife.

"Mr Dimitrov was on his phone trying to pay for his parking when he heard a voice shouting aggressively."

"The use of knives in public causes anxious concern to the community. This was a terrible act of violence..."

Rodriguez, of Warren Gardens, Hadlow, stabbed Mr Dimitrov once in the abdomen and punched him in the face before returning and stabbing him a second time near his spine before running away.

In his statement, the victim said “he looked so angry, he looked like death, he looked like the grim reaper”.

Rodriguez, who is 22, has now been sent to prison for five years and nine months after admitting wounding with intent and possessing a knife.

The judge imposed an extended jail term of another two years which will be served on licence once he is released.

The attempted murder charge was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Judge Philip Statman told Rodriguez: "There had been bad blood between you about who had won a previous fight.

"The use of knives in public causes anxious concern to the community. This was a terrible act of violence.

"You carried out these attacks in broad daylight in a town centre and next to a department store.

"He suffered considerable pain and thought he was going to die.

"You accept you have a temper. You have also accepted that you have abused illegal substances."

"I have absolutely no idea why he attacked me so suddenly and without warning..."

He added that Rodriguez had suffered mental health problems and had started carrying a knife when he was out.

Mr Dennis revealed that the victim received grave injuries and was flown to King's College Hospital in London after spending two days in intensive care.

The victim later wrote an impact statement, saying: "Eleven days since I was stabbed. I am struggling to breathe, eat, walk, move or even laugh.

"By far this is the most painful thing I have ever been through both physically and mentally.

"I have absolutely no idea why he attacked me so suddenly and without warning.

"I thought everything was done and dusted and it was just petty stuff in the first place."

The two had known each other since they were at school when they were 16 but there were "no issues between them".

"However Mr Dimitrov states that the defendant’s behaviour deteriorated as he started taking drugs," said Mr Dennis

"In around April, 2021, there was an argument because the defendant attempted to interfere in Mr Dimitrov’s relationship."

The two exchanged messages on Facebook, leaving Mr Dimitrov feeling angry.

"It is only by luck that the wounds he inflicted were not fatal..."

Rodriguez sent his rival phone messages including: "Where u at fat boy”, “P***y boy, like I thought” and “All that talk on the net, you now when your yard gets hit”.

Mr Dennis added: "This was petty arguing and by February 2022 it should have long been forgotten and it cannot possibly offer the defendant any mitigation for what happened."

Commenting on the sentence, Detective Constable Alex Peacock, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "Rodriguez was responsible for a simply brutal and terrifying assault which took place in front of several alarmed members of public.

"It is only by luck that the wounds he inflicted were not fatal.

"Whilst Rodriguez has never revealed to us where he disposed of the knife, the evidence in this case clearly shows he had every intention of inflicting serious harm.

"The victim has endured a terrifying ordeal, the consequences of which will no doubt stay with him for the rest of his life and I do hope that this sentence will at least provide some reassurance."