A WAITER was stabbed by the boyfriend of a woman he escorted home from a nightclub.

Miguel Abreu attacked Mohammed Wahid with a kitchen knife after he turned up at the couple’s Witney home in the early hours of the morning, a court heard.

Mr Wahid, who was described by the judge as being completely harmless and innocent, suffered a serious wound to one of his hands, and was then assaulted.

Naomi Perry, prosecuting, told Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday (April 14) how Mr Wahid had finished his shift at The Raj restaurant in Witney on the night of Saturday, September 13, last year and then went to Nortons Cafe Bar.

She said he had quite a lot to drink and recognised a woman in the bar who regularly walked past the restaurant and they chatted briefly. When Mr Wahid left the bar he spotted the woman, Jade Bennett, again in the street.

Miss Perry said: “They walked together and chatted, but they certainly weren’t walking hand in hand. Mr Wahid does not remember, but Miss Bennett remembers he invited her up to his flat, she declined and he didn’t insist, but she asked him to walk her back to her block of flats which he did.”

The court heard Mr Wahid accompanied Miss Bennett through the communal doors and then turned to walk away.

Ms Perry said: “He then became aware there was a man near him slashing at him with a knife.

“He can’t remember where he came from, but described the knife as a kitchen knife. He held his hand up to protect his face and he recalls being struck several times in the hand. He described putting a hand out and actually grabbing the knife.”

Mr Wahid managed to escape and called the police who followed a blood trail back to the flats and arrested Abreu.

His victim suffered such a deep cut to his ring finger that fatty tissue was visible and a superficial cut to a middle finger. He also suffered bruising to his head and face.

Miss Perry said Abreu, 22, who pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding at an earlier hearing, had previous convictions for battery in 2012 and assault.

Adrian Amer, defending, said his client had two children with his partner of three years, but the couple had argued that day and Abreu was drinking while sitting up waiting for her to come home.

Judge Patrick Eccles said: “You brandished a meat knife at Mr Wahid, somebody who in my mind, was a completely harmless and innocent victim."

“People who face men brandishing knives may try to defend themselves and end up being seriously cut. It’s perfectly reasonable for me to assume he was in considerable pain from that injury.”

He sentenced Abreu, of Bathing Place Court, Witney, to two years and nine months in prison after he pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding.