A drug user stabbed a friend that he believed was having an affair with his partner. Jamie Nightingale, 30, who has 29 previous convictions for 83 offences, had known his victim for a short while and they had become friends.
However, on August 4, 2021, he used a metal bar to to repeatedly hit the man's body. Three days after the incident, he showed up at the victim's house and held a knife to his throat before slashing his face.
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard how the man required 18 stitches and is scarred for life. Nightingale has been sentenced to seven years and two months behind bars, Stoke-on-Trent Live reports.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Power said that the victim noticed a change in Nightingale's behaviour after he was introduced to the drug monkey dust.
Miss Power said: "The defendant had started a relationship with a woman. He became paranoid and jealous and accused the victim of flirting with his girlfriend. The man repeatedly told him this was nonsense but he would not listen.
"On August 4 last year the defendant and his girlfriend went to the man's address. The defendant had some issues with his van and the victim helped him fix it.
"Later, the defendant was on the sofa and had a pipe. He may have been taking drugs at the time. His eyes were rolled back to the back of his head. His girlfriend was next to him.
"The victim went to sit down. The defendant suddenly jumped up and started to hit him with a silver bar, previously used as a hand for a car jack."
The defendant hit the man all over his body. Miss Power said: "He said, 'Tell me the truth and I will leave'. He repeated it a number of times. The man described being hit over and over again with the bar.
"He raised his hands to protect himself. He described at one point the defendant picking up a hacksaw, grabbing his wrist and starting to saw at it. But it was upside down and the blade did not cut the skin. The man felt physically sick and unable to breathe.
"He wanted to grab his phone and he told the defendant he needed an ambulance. The defendant used a baseball bat to smash up the phone.
"The defendant believed the police were outside. He instructed his victim to sit on the sofa and put the bar under the sofa. He told him to tell the police he had been attacked by someone else. There were no police outside. It was just his paranoia. He picked up a vape cartridge and threw it at the man's head."
The man did not seek any medical attention. Three days later, at 6.10pm on August 7, he was at home when the defendant arrived. Miss Power said: "He said to the injured party, 'Tell me the truth and I will leave you now'. The man told him there was nothing wrong. The defendant entered, grabbed the man and threw him on the sofa.
"He could see the defendant had a Stanley knife in his right hand. The defendant pinned him down to the sofa, grabbed his throat, held the knife to the side of his throat and told him to tell the truth.
"The man managed to push him away and a struggle ensued. The complainant saw the defendant holding the Stanley knife up to the side of his head. The defendant said, 'I told you what would happen'.
"The man felt a warm trickle of blood running down his face. The defendant got up and walked out the address. The complainant saw him drive away in a van. He went to seek assistance from a neighbour."
The court heard the man was left with a four inch cut to the right side of his head which required 18 stitches. He has been left permanently scarred and moved out of the area as he was worried there would be repercussions.
The defendant was found in possession of a stolen Yamaha motorbike worth £1,500. It was stolen overnight on August 13 and 14. It was recovered from his van.
Nightingale, of Ridge Road, Sandyford, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and receiving stolen goods.
Barry White, mitigating, said the defendant has been in custody for eight months. He said: "It was due to drugs, monkey dust. He found himself paranoid. He is sorry. The complainant was a friend."
He said the defendant, a dad-of-four, did not put the complainant through the ordeal of having to give evidence at trial. The barrister conceded it was a nasty injury. He said: "The knife was used once. It was a single action. It is not a case of repeated stabs."
Mr White added: "He hopes to put his life back on track on his release. He hopes he can put drugs very much behind him and get on with his life."
Judge Sally Hancox said: "Monkey dust is a prevalent, heavily used and appalling example of a synthetic drug. It appears to have an appalling impact on the person who uses it and quite often the people around those who use it. That is sadly what has come to pass in this case.
"You appeared to have developed an anxiety or jealousy concerning his friendship with a woman you were involved with at that time. You are described as having become paranoid and jealous. A lot of that paranoia and jealousy was due to your use of monkey dust. You accused him and others of flirting with your partner and trying to take her away from you. They tried to tell you this was not the case. But you would not listen to them.
"You accept and acknowledge the physical and emotional impact that these matters have caused to your victim. A serious injury such as this will always have an impact.
"While there is no excuse for what you did, the explanation is a sad, but simple one, it has been your use of drugs, in particular, that substance monkey dust. It has impacted your life, your property, it will have affected your relationship with other people, including those you care about the most."
Nightingale must serve two thirds of the sentence before he is released with the remainder on licence.
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