A desperate victim held a chip packet to his bleeding neck after being viciously slashed outside a shopping centre.
Robert Lloyd was standing at a bus stop outside Bootle Strand Shopping Centre when he was approached by Christopher Vaughan.
Vaughan, 25, held Mr Lloyd while he cut his throat in front of horrified witnesses on May 20 this year.
In order to stop the bleeding from his neck, and in an attempt to save his own life, Mr Lloyd pressed a chip packet to his own neck until paramedics arrived at the scene.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday, that when officers arrived at the scene where the knife was immediately detained. Mr Lloyd was treated there, but refused to go to hospital for further treatment.
Paramedics did take pictures of the wound though, with one ambulance worker describing the cut as “nasty”.
Making a recovery, Mr Lloyd detailed to the court how the attack had affected him.
Reading aloud a victim personal statement, Mr Riding said: “I can definitely say since the incident I am a different person.
“I no longer wish to go out. I’ve been living in a hotel since and most of my time is spent inside of my room.
“I’m now affected even by the sight of a knife.”
The hearing also heard that Vaughan, had been drinking since 2pm on the day of the attack and left his home in Caspian Place, Bootle, with a knife before threatening a number of people.
Henry Riding, prosecuting, said Vaughan had a “domestic incident” in his home before leaving a house armed with an eight-inch kitchen knife.
Get the latest crime news straight to your inbox by entering your postcode below
The court heard how the defendant's sister was worried about him and other members of the public and called police to say he was armed.
While out, at about 9.45pm, Vaughan approached a young Abigail Morrison and Chad Farrell, on the Leeds Liverpool canal.
The pair told officers they could see the defendant walking with what appeared to be a knife and “mumbling”.
Mr Riding said: “He was about 12 feet away from them and they heard him say ‘I’m going to do something bad, you better not be here when I get back’.
“Worrying, and not wanting to cause any trouble understandably, they started to leave..
“But the defendant passed them, and was about 20 feet away, when he shouted ‘what did I tell you? I thought I told you to move’.”
The pair left the scene, Mr Riding added, before calling police.
It was a short time after that Vaughan and Mr Lloyd were involved in a verbal altercation and the victim was hurt.
Damien Nolan, defending, said his client had “no recollection” of the shocking incident, and was extremely remorseful.
He told the court his client was intoxicated at the time, had poor mental health and was thought to have been suffering some kind of mental episode at the time.
Vaughan, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and making threats with an article or blade.
Judge Brian Cummings QC sentenced Vaughan to four years imprisonment for wounding with intent, and 12 months for threatening with a bladed article.
The sentences will run concurrently.
He told Vaughan he will serve half of this sentence in prison before he is eligible for release on licence.
He added: “It appears that this is an isolated incident in terms of your lifetime. I accept you show remorse for what you have done.”
