A bridegroom was stabbed by his best man for making a drunken pass at his girlfriend on the wedding night.

Tony Wall, 46, of Hillmead, Gossops Green, Crawley, was jailed for a year for knifing Robin Gilbert in the leg during a tussle less than a week after the wedding.

The pair were drinking pals in Crawley and Wall, who has a history of violence, was best man at Mr Gilbert's wedding in June.

After the ceremony, the bride and groom took Wall and his then girlfriend out for a curry before they all ended up back at Mr Gilbert's flat.

Mr Gilbert made a pass at Wall's girlfriend after the other two fell asleep drunk, Hove Crown Court court heard yesterday.

A week later Mr Gilbert arrived drunk at Wall's home and the pair had an argument.

Wall, who had not been drinking, ran to the kitchen and grabbed a bread knife and threatened Mr Gilbert, asking him to leave.

The pair then got into a violent tussle, during which the knife was plunged into Mr Gilbert's thigh, severing a main artery.

The court heard how he nearly died from blood loss and will probably suffer permanent pain and scarring.

Geoffrey Lamb, defending Wall, said his client had not meant to stab Mr Gilbert and had deliberately held the knife at arm's length away from him during the wrestle.

Wall was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm but cleared of a charge of GBH with intent at an earlier trial.

He has six previous convictions for alcohol-related violence and was sentenced to four years' imprisonment in 1999 for threatening to shoot two police officers with an air rifle.

But Mr Lamb said Wall was a reformed character who had now controlled his drinking, got a responsible job and had bought his own house in Crawley.

He said he would lose his job and his home if sent to prison.

Recorder Margaret Bowron said: "You were affronted on your girlfriend's behalf and quite rightly.

"But it is important to remember that Mr Gilbert could have lost his life."

"You were not drunk, which is to your credit, but it only exacerbated the state of your thought process and makes it all the worse that you picked up a knife while sober."