A thug who slashed a man across the face with a machete during a row about a missing mobile phone has been locked up.

Benjamin Binney used the large knife to attack the man in his own home after his partner’s phone went missing.

The 27-year-old went looking for a man he believed was responsible before the confrontation descended into violence in the victim’s Darlington home.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the man collapsed in the nearby hospital as a result of blood loss from his facial injury.

Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, said the defendant left the address after an initial confrontation but returned a short time later armed with the machete and attacked a different man at the property on Beaconsfield Road.

She said: “He barged into the address, he pulled out the machete and started lashing out at the victim while shouting about the phone.

“He said he didn’t have and hadn’t seen before the defendant shouted, he didn’t care and ‘I will f****** kill him’ before he left the premises with a bottle of gin which was later found at his house.”

Miss Atkinson said the victim suffered significant blood loss as a result of his facial injury and was left with a permanent scar.

In a victim impact statement, he said he was now constantly paranoid, and thought he was going to die and not see his children again.

Benjamin BinneyBenjamin Binney (Image: Durham Constabulary)

Binney, of Longfield Road, Darlington, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.

The defendant read out a letter to the court apologising for his violent behaviour on January 18 this year.

He said: “I want to apologise for the pain I have caused him. I understand how serious this is and the lasting effect it will have on him.”

Jonathan Walker, mitigating, said he accepted that the victim would have life-long scarring but didn’t believe that it would have a long-term effect on his ability to live a normal life.

He said: “It is clearly a ghastly injury and a grave injury that has resulted in permanent and irreversible disfigurement to the defendant.”

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Judge Richard Bennett sentenced Binney to a total of three years and five months for both offences.

He said: “You barged your way into the address and then you produced that knife and started lashing out. You hit the victim.

“You were aggrieved about a missing phone belonging to your partner – it was a lifeline for her.

“He said he hadn’t seen it and you threatened to kill him if he was lying. You lashed out causing that serious grave injury to his face.”