A JILTED lover has been jailed for four years after he attacked a rival with a carving knife after finding him in bed with his former partner.

Bradford Crown Court heard today that Jonathan Patrick Walsh, 28, had not been told his relationship with Ellen Imeson was over and carried out his attack after getting into her Bradford home via a cellar and finding her in bed with Shaun Ellerton.

Prosecutor Sophie Drake told the court that Walsh, of Daisy Street, Great Horton, initially got into the bedroom at about 4am and began shouting at the couple.

She said the defendant had a screwdriver with him and stabbed a door with it before going outside to throw bricks at the house.

The police were contacted and the couple went back to sleep, but around lunchtime that day Walsh got into the house again through the cellar and when Miss Imeson woke she saw that he was armed with a large carving knife.

During the attack on Mr Ellerton, Walsh cut him on his shoulder, bicep and forearm, but the court heard that the complainant had not suffered any disfigurement or life-threatening injuries and had made a full recovery.

Miss Drake said Miss Imeson tried to telephone the police from the bathroom, but Walsh came in and grabbed the phone from her.

She said Miss Imeson was "absolutely petrified" and both she and Mr Ellerton had to run out of the house.

Miss Imeson later received a call from Walsh in which he told her that he had entered the house through a cellar window and he was sorry.

Walsh, who pleaded guilty to charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and affray, was arrested ten days after the incident in December last year.

In mitigation, Walsh's barrister Richard Gioserano said the complainants described his client as Miss Imeson's former partner, but unfortunately nobody had told the defendant that.

Jailing Walsh, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said he had pleaded guilty to a very serious offence, but he noted that neither of the complainants had wanted to assist the court

The judge said Walsh would receive additional credit for his guilty pleas in those circumstances.