A FORMER French Foreign Legion soldier slashed at the throat and stomach of a neighbour with a cut throat razor in an attempt to kill him, a court has heard.

Martin Keith Young, who pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder and possessing an offensive weapon at an earlier hearing, appeared at Worcester Crown Court by video link from HMP Hewell for sentencing on March 15.

'Functioning alcoholic' Young and the victim, who both lived in flats in Kington's Church Street, had known each other for 18 months but had fallen out over a mutual female friend some weeks before the attack on June 16, prosecutor David Jackson said.

The victim said when he next saw Young, the 58-year-old had slapped him and accused him of being a paedophile, and he had taken steps to avoid him.

But at around 4pm on June 16, the victim had been mending his bicycle in the communal gardens when Young offered him "a drop of vodka" before saying he was "going away for a long time."

Young poured the victim a drink but, when the conversation turned to the death of a friend, suddenly turned violent, pulling out a cut-throat razor and slashing the victim in the throat twice, shouting "this is for all the women and kids you have been perving at."

The victim wrestled the razor from Young's grasp, threw it and ran, but found himself trapped in a dead-end, where Young caught up with him and again slashed at him, opening a 15cm long gash in his abdomen before walking away.

Young, who was found nearby, called police and told them what had happened, saying he had done it "because he was a paedo."

The victim, who had three wounds to his neck, a gash to his abdomen, and cuts to his arm and leg, was taken to the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham, where he received a total of 72 stitches and staples.

Mark Thompson, mitigating, said Young had shown clear remorse in calling the police and pleading guilty.

"He says he cannot remember doing this, but he regrets it," Mr Thompson said.

"He has had significant mental illnesses for the last 30 years and has sought help for these on many occasions."

The court heard a psychiatric report found Young, who served in both the British Army and the French Foreign Legion, showed "clear evidence" of PTSD and significantly impaired judgement.

"He was using alcohol to self-medicate, and the doctor says he was caught up in a vicious cycle," Mr Thompson said.

"The day of the attack was the anniversary of a friend's death, which had a very significant impact on him, and he had recently lost his son to coronavirus. He had reached crisis point."

Judge Nicolas Cartwright told Young there was no evidence that the victim, who has been left with significant scarring, was a paedophile.

"You had deliberately armed yourself. You obviously intended this would be fatal, but fortunately you were disarmed and worn out," he said.

"There is no doubt in my mind that you are dangerous."

Young was jailed for eight years with a five-year extension period for the attack. He also received a one-year sentence, to run concurrently to the first, for possessing the weapon.