A MAN who stabbed an off duty doorman in the heart outside a Nelson nightclub has been jailed for five years.

A court heard that the life of Kris Farrar's victim was saved by doormen and paramedics after he collapsed in the foyer of the Equinox nightspot.

The injured man, Darren Needham, 25 at the time, needed nine pints of blood after a lock knife penetrated the right ventricle of his heart.

Passing sentence at Preston Crown Court, Mr Justice Kay told Farrar: "But for the action of those present, ambulance and medical staff, you would be facing a murder charge."

"You would have been convicted and the least sentence you would have served would have been at least 15 years in prison."

Farrar, 21, of Gisburn Road, Barrowford, pleaded guilty earlier this week to wounding Mr Needham with intent to do him grievous bodily harm last November.

After the case, Equinox boss Tony Ahmed, who was on holiday at the time of the incident, said: "I think he should have got longer."

But Nelson police inspector David Shepherd said: "The sentence reflects the severity of the offence and shows this kind of incident will not be tolerated by the justice system."

Rowena Goode, prosecuting, said Farrar had drunk eight or nine pints of lager and other drinks prior to going to the nightclub. He had been barred from the premises but on that particular night was allowed in.

Shortly after midnight he was ejected. He was put outside the front doors where Mr Needham, who was not on duty, was chatting with other doormen. Words were exchanged between the two.

Mr Needham said the defendant began to approach him outside, swinging his arms. He felt contact in his chest area, but neither he nor the doormen were aware that Farrar had a knife.

Miss Goode told the court: "His life was saved by the actions of the doormen and paramedics in the first aid they rendered him.

Farrar told police that Mr Needham had been abusive to him. He said someone had passed him the knife, apparently just before he used it, but he did not remember striking the blow.

Mark Stuart, defending, said Farrar had never been a frequent drinker but drinking to excess had caused trouble in the past."

Passing sentence, the judge said Farrar owed a debt to those who saved Mr Needham.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.