Two men have been jailed for stabbing an Afghan war veteran following a dispute over driving penalty tickets.

Nathan Mushidi, 24, of Byegrove Court, London, appeared before Reading Crown Court this afternoon (May 29), having been convicted of Section 18 grievous bodily harm at trial last October.

Co-conspirator Billy-Ray Barclay - who stood to be sentenced for the same offence - was not present for the hearing.

The court heard that, on April 3, 2023, the pair set upon a man with knives in Windlesham Road, Bracknell.

The victim was stabbed in the back, and lost around 300 millilitres of blood before being hospitalised.

He underwent emergency surgery at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, which Judge John Bate-Williams credits with saving the man's life.

The victim is a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, who was shot and wounded while fighting the Taliban.

Years after his return to the UK, he met Mushidi, who acted as his drug dealer.

The court heard that, at some point, Mushidi borrowed the other man's car.

While driving it, he incurred £160 of penalty tickets - leading to a dispute with the veteran.

The two men agreed to meet in Bracknell and settle the matter in a fight.

Prosecuting barrister Isabel Delamere said the victim believed the fight would involve only fists.

But Mushidi decided to bring along Barclay, a 36-year-old Camberley resident with an history of violent offending.

The two men produced knives and ambushed the victim, who was seriously injured.

Mrs Delamere said: "He [the victim] underwent a six-hour operation on April 3, later being discharged on April 7.

"Clearly, he had lost a lot of blood. The wound extended deep into the muscles of the spine."

In a statement read out by the prosecutor in court, the victim spoke to the impact of the attack on his life.

He said: "I did not deserve to be stabbed. I could have died, and I'm now trying to turn my life around for the better."

Judge Bate-Williams said he 'cannot be sure' which of the two defendants stabbed the victim in the back.

While Barclay has a serious criminal record - including for numerous robberies and assaults - Mushidi has no prior history of violent offences.

Defence barrister Dominic Benthall said Mushidi comes from a supportive family, and was a man of 'no small talents.'

His parents attended throughout the trial, and were present in the public gallery as he was sentenced.

Mr Benthall said: "It's a tragedy that Mr Mushidi appears before the court, because he remains a person of some promise."

In light of these submissions, Judge Bate-Williams jailed Mushidi for six years and Barclay for eight-and-a-half years.

He paid tribute to the victim for providing a 'well-expressed and extremely moving' account of his ordeal.

The judge stated: "[The victim] had a terrifying experience, experiencing a substantial loss of blood as he waited for the emergency services to arrive."