Woman criticises 10 month jail sentence after Aldwick stabbing for being too short

Michael Pyke, also known as Michael Lloyd, was sentenced at Chichester Crown Court where he was sent to prison for grievous bodily harm with intent against Eddie Bourne.

Mr Bourne's wife Elise said: "I thought the sentence might have been a little bit stronger. I thought he might have more time inside.

"Listening to what a lot of people were saying, I thought it could be two years rather than ten months."

Pyke (61) knifed Mr Bourne in an attack in Langley Grove around 11pm last July 2.

Mr Bourne had walked a female friend home after she had visited him and his wife in Boxgrove Gardens.

But the good deed ended with Mr Bourne being stabbed in the stomach.

The main artery in his stomach was pierced. His bowel was perforated in several places as the knife was thrust upwards into his body. Both his arms were slashed repeatedly and a tendon in his left hand was ruptured.

Mr Bourne (68) was taken to St Richard's Hospital at Chichester where he arrived ten minutes from death.

He spent five days in intensive care before his condition improved enough to be moved to a general ward. He required operations lasting four-and-a-half hours to repair his damaged bowel and the damaged tendon.

He had a further operation to cut an abcess out of his stomach.

A fourth operation is likely to reconstruct his stomach to give it a normal appearance.

Mrs Bourne stated: "It has been a dreadful year, absolutely dreadful. My husband has not had any quality of life. He is nowhere near 100 per cent.

"He didn't stop having his dressings changed until November.

"He saw the doctor every single day until the end of September having his dressings changed three times a week."

But she stressed how thankful she was for the skills and care of the surgeons, doctors and nurses at St Richard's accident and emergency department and intensive care unit for saving her husband's life.

He was only one of many patients they saw each year and his survival reinforced how vital the presence of St Richard's was for the area, she added.

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