Alan Holloway stabbed Jason Savoury outside Bramshill Hunt pub in Arborfield where he worked after seeing his former girlfriend kiss his victim.

Reading Crown Court heard on Friday that while Mr Savoury was rushed to Royal Berkshire Hospital, Holloway ditched his knife as he fled to his sister's home.

Barnaby Evans, prosecuting, said once there he told his sister: "I have got to go, I think I have murdered someone. I've knifed someone outside the pub."

He fled to Weston-Super-Mare to stay with an ex-girlfriend but after hearing Mr Savoury had survived the attack he handed himself in.

Holloway, of Venning Close, Arborfield, admitted wounding Mr Savoury with intent when he appeared on Friday after the attack on Friday, September 28.

Mr Evans said the problems began after Holloway ignored Mr Savoury's attempt to say hello.

The 24-year-old only later went to speak to him when Holloway's former girlfriend kissed Mr Savoury.

Mr Evans said: "As far as it's possible to determine a motive for what took place, she is it. The defendant joined them with Jason Savoury saying, ‘Oh, now you want to talk to me'."

Witnesses told police a minor scuffle broke out, stopped by Mr Savoury's dad and fellow drinkers.

Mr Evans said when the Savourys left, Holloway followed to "apologise and sort it out". But the court heard that moments before, Holloway, who told police he was not a jealous person, returned to the kitchen to pick up the knife and another confrontation began.

Mr Evans said: "All of a sudden the defendant delivered what was thought to be two punches."

The father stepped in to separate them and as Holloway ran off the victim realised he had been stabbed.

The first blow hit him under the right arm causing his lung to collapse, the second left a seven-centimetre laceration on the top of his right leg, just missing vital organs.

Nick Syfret, defending, said: "I regret this is another case of a young man finding himself in front of the court having had too much to drink."

Holloway had previously been jailed for 16 months in 1999 for glassing someone on Christmas Eve in 1997 and Mr Syfret said it was a similar

situation. He said: "The best indication of his remorse is not what the defendant has to say to the probation officers but what he does there after the actual offence. In this case his co-operation with the police was as substantial as could possibly be expected."

Mr Syfret added: "He did not in the cause of interview try to shift blame or to try to blame Savoury. He referred to Savoury as a friend."

He said he lost control but "the loss of mental control was momentary".

In jailing Holloway Judge Stanley Spence agreed that under normal circumstances the defendant was a decent and kind man but alcohol changed him.

Judge Spence said he'd consciously taken the knife out his pocket and intended to use it. He said: "There was no real provocation. It's really a case of drunken anger."