A former Dunmow man has been jailed for accidental wounding after an incident in the town last July which left a victim needing 11 stitches.

Reece Pridmore, 21, now of Elwood, Harlow, was cleared of causing actual bodily harm and possessing a bladed article, but was given a total of 25 months for the wounding offence, possession of drugs and a breach of a suspended sentence.

Victim Ryan Scott told the court Pridmore stabbed him twice in the space of 20 minutes in Dunmow on July 31 last year after the pair had argued about him contacting Pridmore’s girlfriend, who he had known since his schooldays.

Judge David Turner QC imposed 12 months for the knife incident after the jury’s verdict, 10 months consecutive for possessing drugs with intent to supply, which he admitted, and three months for the breach of the suspended sentence.

Last March, Pridmore, formerly of Harris Green, Dunmow, was caught “driving around Great Dunmow dealing drugs” and was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, 150 hours unpaid work and told then he was lucky not to be jailed immediately.

However, five months later, on August 10 last year, when police went to his address, he was found to have 40 grams of cannabis and an ecstasy-type drug - APB - and admitted having both with intent to supply.

After four hours deliberation at the latest hearing, the jury found Pridmore not guilty of causing actual bodily harm and possessing a bladed article, but convicted him of the alternative accidental wounding charge.

Referring to the knife incident, Judge Turner said: “It was found to be an aggressive argument which descended into a struggle. Nevertheless a knife was involved and you attempted to conceal evidence, having taken the knife. You should have walked away.”

During the trial, Pridmore claimed that Mr Scott had produced the knife in the incident, which left the victim needing 11 stitches in a shoulder wound.

But witness Julia Dean told the court she had spoken to Pridmore in a pub in January this year, and he admitted stabbing Mr Scott.

She said: “He told me he did it but didn’t go into any details. He said he just got angry and lost it.”