A JUDGE who allowed Mark Hobson, who went on to kill four people, to walk free from court after he stabbed a love rival, has faced criticism for not jailing him.

Judge Scott Wolstenholme gave the former binman 100 hours' community work and two years' probation after he stabbed William Brace in Selby, North Yorkshire, in March 2002.

Now, he has been criticised for showing Hobson leniency when he appeared before him at York Crown Court in February 2003.

Less than 18 months after walking free from court, Hobson killed his girlfriend Claire Sanderson and her twin sister Diane before bludgeoning elderly couple James and Joan Britton, of Strensall, York, to death.

Hobson pleaded guilty to four counts of murder at Leeds Crown Court on Monday, where details of his previous convictions emerged.

Paul Worsley QC told the court: "Witness statements dealing with Hobson's background show he has a disturbing history of violence in the past.

"Concerning William Brace; in May 2003, Hobson stabbed him five times in the chest and the arm and it resulted in a wounding with intent charge.

"He pleaded guilty to wounding and received a community dispersal."

Judge Wolstenholme, sitting at Leeds Crown Court yesterday, said he could not comment on the original sentence or the criticism he faced.

But Peter Farr, the chief public information officer for the Office of the Lord Chief Justice, said: ''All sentencing decisions reflect the full range of evidence presented to the court in that case at that time, and a variety of other relevant factors which judges must have regard to, including the statutory framework, Court of Appeal judgements and any mitigating or aggravating factors.''

Hobson repeatedly stabbed Mr Brace with a butterfly knife in front of horrified shoppers.

His victim, a father-of-two, suffered a punctured lung in the daytime attack after Mr Brace confronted Hobson over rumours he had slept with his girlfriend.

Hobson later said he could not remember using the knife to stab him.

Mr Brace's mother Margaret, of Selby, said: "There was talk of Mark getting four or five years, but the sentence he got was disgusting and made me very angry."

It was also revealed in court that Hobson had acted like a "madman" towards a former lover in 1990.

He had clenched his hands around her throat after having sex with her.

In another violent incident, in early 2003, the killer held a key to the face of a drinker and threatened to take his eye out.

And in December 2003, he punched his daughter five times in the head after losing his temper.

David Hines, of the North of England Victims' Association, said he had long campaigned for tougher sentences for offenders.

He said: "Sentences are too soft to start with. I made a presentation to the Home Office on sentencing but they are being diluted and diluted.

"It is an unfair system."