A KNIFEWOMAN who ‘sliced’ her friend's neck after a heavy drinking session turned into a heated row, has been jailed for four years.

Sophie Hartley, 22, and victim Joe Arnfield, also her neighbour at a Burnley block of flats, were said to have been threatening to kill each other and punching each other before the attack in Hartley’s home.

The defendant then armed herself with a knife from her kitchen and lunged at her victim, but he didn’t move.

She held it to his neck, he laughed, she withdrew it, Mr Arnfield carried on laughing and she then sliced his neck horizontally, immediately causing profuse bleeding, the town’s crown court heard.

The hearing was told the pair had both had ‘copious amounts’ of cider, despite the fact they were banned from drinking at the supported housing project.

Mr Arnfield, 21, suffered a 6cm laceration and is left scarred, but was lucky to escape with his life.

After the violence, Hartley was questioned by police, claimed she couldn't remember what happened, couldn’t see herself stabbing the victim and then said she hadn’t done it and added if she was going to stab him she ‘would have done a proper job of it’.

The defendant, of Whittle Court, had admitted wound-ing with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, on March 13.

Stephen Parker, prosecuting, said Hartley and Mr Arnfield lived at an accom-modation run by Stepping Stones project. They had been drinking throughout the afternoon and by the early evening a further six litres of cider was bought and shared.

Mr Parker told the court Mr Arnfield said about 7pm the defendant’s demeanour suddenly changed.

She was drunk, started to become aggressive and argumentative, was shout-ing and swearing at him and said she was going to get people to sort him out.

Richard Taylor, for Hartley, said she was ‘something of an enigma’. Her key worker described her as thoughtful.

Judge Jonathan Gibson said: “In the cold light of day, I am sure you appreciate you could have either seriously injured him or even killed him.”