A father-of-two who stabbed a teenager in the back outside a nightclub — missing a major artery by an inch — has been jailed for three years.

Marwon Bean plunged the weapon so far into Che McCannon Hollis that the tip of the eight-inch blade came out of his front, Supreme Court was told yesterday.

The pair had been fighting outside Champions nightclub when Bean disappeared behind a vehicle, approached the victim from the back and stabbed him in the neck and shoulder area, said Senior Crown counsel Paula Tyndale.

Mr. McCannon Hollis, 19, suffered a stab wound to the chest and spent five days in intensive care in hospital before being released. Ms Tyndale said the blade was just millimetres away from puncturing an artery which would have killed him.

Bean, 29, from Redcoat Lane, St. George’s, admitted unlawful wounding and was yesterday sentenced to three years in prison, followed by two years’ probation on his release.

Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons, who described Bean’s attack as “cowardly”, said there had been a prevalence of fights outside nightclubs and she hoped Bean’s sentence would act as a deterrent.

Summarising the case, Ms Tyndale told the court an argument had erupted outside the Reid Street venue between a bouncer and a patron in the early hours of Sunday, May 7, last year. Bean became involved and was punched in the face by McCannon Hollis, causing his nose to bleed.

“The defendant pulled a knife out of his pants and walked around a nearby vehicle,” said Ms Tyndale.

“He approached the complainant from behind with the knife, which had an eight-inch blade.

“While standing behind, he raised it and plunged it into his back in the vicinity of the shoulder and neck. The tip of the blade appeared in the front of the complainant.”

Bean then fled in a nearby vehicle, said Ms Tyndale, before turning himself in and admitting the stabbing a few days later.

She added: “Had the injury been an inch closer to the victim’s neck, he would have died as it was more than likely to have severed a major artery. Although the victim was involved in a hand to hand altercation, the defendant’s response with a weapon was disproportionate.”

She said the victim had been unable to lift heavy objects as a result of his injury, impacting on his job as a construction worker.

Darrell Clarke, representing Bean, said his client had anger management problems. Mr. Clarke said: “He’s unable to control himself. He needs a corrective programme, something of that nature. “If someone punches you in the face and your nose is bleeding, there’s a certain amount of adrenaline that would cause you to maybe over-react. He admits that he could have handled the situation better.”

Bean, who has two children aged six and three, told the court: “I’m very sorry. I just meant to punch, I didn’t mean to do any damage.”

Passing sentence, Mrs. Justice Simmons said: “In the case of the stabbing, it was a cowardly act and the court rejects that you were overcome by the heat of the moment. It appears it was a cold and calculated act, showing no regard for the victim’s health and safety. The court notices it’s become so prevalent outside nightclubs at night, a message has to be sent that such behaviour will be punished.”

‘Cowardly’ attack gets three year sentence