A 34-year-old Cinderford man who attacked a fellow Romanian with a knife has been given a suspended 21-month prison term and ordered to pay his victim £1,000.

Giles Nelson, prosecuting at Gloucester Crpwn Court explained that Ionel Bors and Catalin Cretu had known each other since their school days in Romania.

They came across each other while working at a slaughterhouse in Cinderford but then lost contact again when one of them left. They renewed their acquaintanceship a few years ago while working at a chicken processing plant in Newent.

Mr Cretu was living with his partner above a shop in Cinderford while Bors lived close by.

Mr Cretu occasionally gave Bors a lift to work. But on one occasion they got into an argument about transportation home with others after Bors had given a ‘high handed reply’ –  putting on ‘airs and graces.’

“Bors carried on this disagreement after they had got home to Cinderford and called Mr Cretu and marked the falling out between the two men.” said the prosector

“Bors offered to fight Mr Cretu, with Mr Cretu’

“A significant Romanian verbal threat was issued. Mr Cretu’s uncle heard the threat to cut his nephew.

“Bors made his way to Mr Cretu’s apartment with a knife. Mr Cretu saw Bors arriving on foot and entered the property and produced a knife – described as a flick-knife- from his back pocket, which had a seven centimetre blade on it with a button to release the blade.

“Mr Cretu attempted to climb the stairs, but slipped as Bors swung the knife at him, nicking his ankle in the process. Bors then swung again and this time he slashed his calf. Bors then swung the knife again, but missed as Mr Cretu fled the scene.

“Mr Cretu’s wounds were dressed by the paramedics at the scene and didn’t need any further treatment.”

The police later attended Bors’ home address and found the knife used in the incident.

Dhaneshwar Sharma, defending, said: “Bors has settled status in this county. He is a hard-working man. It took courage for him to finally admit his guilt just days before his trial.

“He was suffering from conflicting interests in that his family thought he had been wrongly accused and was not being realistic about what had taken place, but he finally saw sense after having a conference with myself. With Bors pleading guilty, this negates the need for Mr Cretu to give evidence at trial.”

Judge Ian Lawrie KC interjected: “The use of a knife in public has to be marked with a custodial sentence.”

Bors of High Street, Cinderford pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding Catalin Cretu in the town on August 1 last year and having a knife with him without lawful authority on the same day.

In sentencing Bors to a 21month prison term, suspended for two years Judge Lawrie told him: “You entered into a confrontation with somebody you knew. You went equipped with a knife. You inflicted an injury to your victim. But only by good fortune that injury wasn’t worse that it was.

“In wielding the knife in anger you might have subjected your victim to a modest cut, or in extreme circumstances you could have killed him. Luckily for you this was a modest cut. 

“Do you understand how stupid you’ve been?”

Bors replied through an interpreter and said yes.

“However I have heard enough about you in mitigation that I am able to suspend the sentence,” the judge concluded.

The judge also ordered that Bors pay £1,000 in compensation, a contribution to court costs of £250 and a mandatory surcharge of £187. 

He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, attend 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days and made subject to a five-year restraining order not to contact his victim by any means.