A man who stabbed another man in the neck in an 'unprovoked' attack in a flat kitchen has been jailed for life.
Lee Hart brutally stabbed his victim with a kitchen knife, leaving him fighting for his life. The 'motiveless' attack happened at a flat on Smith Street in Burnley last December, police said.
The victim - aged in his 40s - suffered a severed artery and a severed vein in his neck, causing major blood loss. He only survived as he managed to flee the flat with a friend who flagged down a passing car.
An ambulance was then called and the victim was taken to hospital for life-saving surgery. Hart went on the run after the incident and a manhunt was launched.
The 39-year-old was later found and arrested in Oxford. He was charged with attempted murder but pleaded guilty to Section 18 wounding.
Hart, of Smith Street, Burnley, was jailed for life at Preston Crown Court today (September 14). He will serve a minimum term of eight and a half years in prison before he can be considered for parole.
He will also be on licence for life. Det Sgt Sarah Hargreaves, of East CID, said: "This was a completely unprovoked and extremely serious assault, and the victim could easily have died without emergency surgery.
"Lee Hart is clearly a very dangerous and unpredictable man and I welcome today’s sentence, which reflects the gravity of the offence."
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