A Middlesbrough man was last night starting a life sentence after murdering a neighbour in a frenzied knife attack.

Simon Jenney, 28, of Meadow View Road, Whinney Banks, was found guilty today (February 20) by a Teesside Crown Court jury of murdering scaffolder Michael Salter during a row outside the dead man's home in May last year.

Jenney, who denied the murder but admitted manslaughter, remained expressionless as the verdict was read out but there were shouts of triumph from his victim's family in the public gallery.

Security guard Jenney stabbed Mr Salter, 33, repeatedly in the face, eye and neck with a lock knife, severing all the major blood vessels in his neck and fracturing his skull on May 19. He died in hospital two days after the attack.

Sentencing Jenney, Judge Peter Fox QC said: "It was a ferocious and brutal attack in a public street and in the presence of several members of the public who were undoubtedly horrified and deeply shocked by your brutal behaviour.

"It was a merciless killing."

The judge invited submissions from the defence counsel as to how long Jenney should serve before becoming eligible for parole.

Barrister David Hatton QC asked him to take into account the fact that Jenney's criminal record was "by no means a great one".

He said that violence had come to his client and not vice versa and that there was no evidence to suggest he was carrying the knife used in the attack as a weapon. He added: "He has never served a sentence in prison or custody of any kind."

Prosecutor Aidan Marron QC gave the judge a statement from Mr Salter's fiancee Lisa Freeman on the impact she suffered from his death, but this was not read out.

Earlier in the eight-day trial the jury heard that Jenney and his pregnant wife had been celebrating their first wedding anniversary at a barbecue at his mother's house on the day of the murder.

When the couple arrived back at their home mid-evening, there was a violent outburst in the street between Mr Salter and Jenney and his half-brother, Jameel Khan.

Jenney told the jury that Mr Salter had head butted him and Mr Khan and that he had no recollection of stabbing his neighbour.

Mr Khan, 23, of Meadow View Road, was also accused of stabbing Mr Salter and appeared before Teesside Crown Court on August 10 last year. The charges against him were later dropped.

After the verdict, Detective Sergeant Mel Chaytor, of Middlesbrough CID, described the attack as horrific. He said: "It involved Simon Jenney placing Michael Salter in a headlock and stabbing him 14 or 15 times in the head and neck area. As a result he had little chance of surviving the injuries.

"From evidence given in court it's clear that Simon Jenney was intent on causing trouble that day. He was involved in other disturbances with neighbours and family prior to the arrival of Michael Salter in the close. In court he said he couldn't recall what happened. But he managed to give a false account of how he'd come by his injuries to hospital staff."

He said Mr Salter's parents were still struggling to come to terms with the loss of their son.