A MAN who knifed one man in the neck and slashed a second with a Samurai sword in front of horrified onlookers has been jailed.

Kai Jordan Fields, 20, came close to murdering the first victim in his daytime street attack between Christmas and New Year, York Crown Court heard.

Some hours before the knife attack, he had said he wanted to kill the first victim, said Alasdair Campbell, prosecuting.

The second victim chased after him immediately after the blow to the first victim, York Crown Court heard.

Shortly afterwards, Fields attacked the second victim - with a Samurai sword.

Both incidents took place in a busy part of Selby in front of people going to and from a recycling centre.

“The roads were busy with people going about their business,” said Mr Campbell.

“A number of witnesses describe seeing one or other of the incidents.”

Self-employed shop fitter Fields, now 20, of D’Arcy Road, Selby, pleaded guilty to two charges of wounding with intent and two of carrying a blade in public.

The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, told Fields of the knife wound: “If it had been a little lower, you could have hit an artery and you would have been on a murder charge.”

“What you did was to take a knife to an arranged fight and you used it,” the judge told Fields.

He jailed him for five years and took into account a delay of nearly a year between the offence taking place and Fields being charged. Fields was arrested shortly after the attacks.

The judge called the delay “unacceptable”.

Mr Campbell said in the early hours of December 27, 2020, Fields went to the first victim’s house “saying he wanted to kill him”.

The two exchanged text messages and calls and at 10.45am, he was back outside the house, with a knife.

The first victim went out to him to ask what was going on and Fields struck him a blow on the left hand side of the body.

Then, in an agitated state, he struck him on the neck before running off.

The second victim ran after him and lost him.

But shortly afterwards, Fields appeared from an alleyway with the sword and slashed at him.

The second victim was cut on the arm.

The first victim needed four stitches to the neck wound.

The second victim did not want to make a statement about his own injury to the police and did not seek medical attention for it, said Mr Campbell.

Graham Parkin, for Fields, said he was remorseful for his actions.

“He accepts he has done wrong,” he said.

“He accepted he acted wholly improperly.”

He had been having difficulties at the time.

But since then, Fields had made efforts to behave better, York Crown Court heard.