A man from Keighley has been sentenced to prison for a stabbing incident in a Bradford establishment.
Joel Inman, aged 35, received a 63-month custodial term at Bradford Crown Court on Wednesday.
Alongside this sentence, an extended licence period of two years was imposed.
Court proceedings revealed that Inman had accumulated two prior wounding offences on his criminal record before this latest conviction.
The Parole Board will be unable to consider his release until he has served two-thirds of his jail term.
Prosecutor Victoria Barker outlined the circumstances of the attack.
An argument had erupted between Inman and the complainant inside the Cavendish Hotel.
Observers present attempted to prevent the two men from proceeding outside.
However, both individuals left the premises where Inman, having consumed eight pints of alcohol, was observed adopting an aggressive stance before striking the victim in the stomach with a pen-knife.
A witness described how the victim’s jacket became visibly saturated with blood as the defendant departed.
The injured man was being transported by car to hospital when police intercepted the vehicle.
Officers transferred the complainant into their own vehicle and conveyed him to the emergency department.
Inman was taken into custody some time afterward, having changed his attire.
A pen-knife was discovered in his possession.
According to Miss Barker, the complainant chose to leave hospital against medical advice.
However, he returned ten days later presenting with a haematoma in his abdominal cavity and a partially collapsed lung.
His stomach wound had also become infected.
He remained an inpatient for an additional three days before being discharged.
Inman entered guilty pleas to charges of unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, along with possessing a bladed article in a public place.
His barrister, Stephen Uttley, submitted that his client had demonstrated an ability to conduct himself appropriately when abstaining from alcohol.
The defence drew attention to Inman’s difficult upbringing and mental health difficulties, characterising the offence as the outcome of multiple cumulative factors.
Mr Uttley stated that Inman had previously been assaulted himself and carried the knife for personal protection.
However, Judge Ahmed Nadim observed that the prevalence of knife-carrying in public spaces continued to represent a serious societal problem.
The judge determined that Inman constituted a dangerous offender, stating that the extended licence period was required given the substantial risk of severe harm he presented to the general public.