A THUG who stabbed his friend 11 times after a drunken row and left him with his stomach “hanging out like a balloon” has been jailed for 10 years.

Shaun Beazley stabbed Andrew Thomas with a kitchen knife after a drunken brawl at Beazley’s house in Bolton Road, Westhoughton, Bolton Crown Court heard.

Mr Thomas, who was found a passerby in the street, said: “Help me, I am going to die,” as his eyes started to roll back into his head and he began to lose consciousness, the court was told.

He had also been stabbed in the cheek, with the blade passing through into his mouth.

It is not known what the argument was about, but the court heard the pair, along with others, had been at Beazley’s home after drinking together in Westhoughton on Saturday, March 3.

Beazley and Mr Thomas began to tussle in the front room after the argument, and Beazley then went into the kitchen and picked up a knife with a 20cm blade.

David Toal, prosecuting, told the court that Beazley appeared to have a smirk on his face, and Mr Thomas left the house. One of the victim’s friends, Daniel Paxford, found Mr Thomas slumped on the ground and covered in blood when he went outside to see what was happening.

He suffered a cut on his hand as he tried to wrestle the knife from Beazley.

The attack left Mr Thomas in hospital for ten days, including three in intensive care.

When police broke through the door at Beazley’s house to arrest him on suspicion of attempted murder, he came downstairs smiling and said: “I don’t think so, it wasn’t as bad as that.”

Beazley, aged 22, later pleaded guilty to wounding with intent.

Michael Lavery, defending, told the court that alcohol was a factor on both sides.

Judge Timothy Clayson said: “What is absolutely clear is that after some sort of struggle you armed yourself, from the kitchen, with a kitchen knife.

“The complainant reacted by leaving the premises, quite sensibly, but you went after him and it can be relatively easily determined from the aftermath there was a violent and persistent knife attack on him.”

Mr Thomas, still visibly scarred from the attack, watched the proceedings but declined to speak to a reporter from The Bolton News.