A man who was sentenced to five years imprisonment for affray and possession of a bladed article in public appeared in Supreme Court to appeal the sentence, and received four years.

Jahki Dillas, of Southampton, was sentenced last March after he admitted to getting in a fight on Reid Street and using a machete while attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to another man in March 2007.

He appeared in court, represented by lawyer Elizabeth Christopher, to have his sentence re-assessed after the Court of Appeal declared his jail term for possessing a blade to be out of proportion in relation to the gravity of the crime.

In a statement he told the court: "I am not trying to be another black man statistic. Prior to the incident I was in the process of furthering my education overseas and was working with the National Training Board to do this. I feel a five-year sentence will deprive me of this."

He added: "I'm trying to be as honest as possible. I had no intention of harming him, I just wanted to scare him and I was not thinking clearly." He told the court that he accepts his action and pleaded for leniency.

Dillas also told the court that he did not have a bulletproof vest on intending an incident, but because the Island's violence has escalated he felt the need for protection.

Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons told him that it is because of his actions and the actions of others who commit similar offences that the Island's violence has escalated necessitating him wearing the vest.

She said: "When you step up to that level of offensive behaviour the court has to send a message out to the rest of the offenders or possible offenders."

Mrs. Justice Simmons told Dillas that he must learn impulse control before she handed him his sentence.