A FORMER drug addict who slashed his fiancee's father across the neck with a Stanley knife has been spared jail.

Judge Les Spittle told Mark Anthony Dunn his attack warranted a nine-month prison term.

However, he said he would suspended the sentence for a year.

Dunn, 25, was also placed on a supervision order for 12 months and told to pay £500 in court costs and £200 compensation to his victim, Richard Thompson.

Teesside Crown Court was told yesterday that there had been a history of disputes between Mr Thompson and his daughter's partner leading up to the assault.

Paul Cleasby, prosecuting, said Mr Thompson was at home on July 6 last year and went to investigate a row outside involving his daughter, Dunn and another man.

Dunn and the other man started fighting so Mr Thompson went back inside and armed himself with a piece of wood, which he smashed into Dunn's car.

Mr Cleasby said Dunn and his fiancee's father began to scuffle, and the younger man swung out a hand containing the knife and slashed his victim across his neck.

Aisha Wadoodi, in mitigation, said the man that Dunn initially argued with was armed with a bottle, and that he picked up the knife to defend himself.

She told the court he was still holding it when the second fight broke out.

She said: "He accepts that he was wrong.

"He had had a fair bit to drink and he accepts that he should not have behaved in the way that he did."

Dunn, of Coronation Avenue, Shildon, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm.