A MAN who assaulted his victim while under the effects of Class A drugs has been jailed for 15 months.

John James Oakes had been taking drugs at an address in Andover when he started an altercation Kieron James Taylor.

Mr Taylor wanted to exit a room when Oakes tried to block the doorway. The 20-year-old started playing with two knives, injuring Mr Taylor to his eyebrow and to his right forearm, Winchester Crown Court heard on Thursday last week.

Between 5am and 6am Oakes followed Mr Taylor and attacked him again.

Edward Culver, prosecuting, said: “He punched him to the right side of the face and shouted at him ‘if you don’t give me £500, I’m going to murder you’.”

Later Oakes went over to Mr Taylor saying “give me that £500 or I will kick down your door”, as his victim went inside.

The court was told that Mr Taylor went to hospital and he was treated for a 2.5cm wound to his arm and a 0.5cm cut to his eyebrow. Luckily, density of the wounds “was skin layers only”.

In a victim impact statement, Mr Taylor said that “there was no need for him to hurt me” and that his arm was painful which meant he could not sleep.

In mitigation, said that Oakes' barrister said his client's “recollection is minimum” as to what happened during the incident as there was a “serious drug problem at the time”.

He said: “It is fair to say there was some kind of argument between Mr Oakes and Mr Taylor. Mr Oakes was not attacking for no reason."

Oakes is currently serving a 44-month sentence for possession with intent to supply, robbery, criminal damage and assault on an emergency worker.

The court was told that Oakes hopes to be “released as soon as possible back to the family home” and would like to gain “meaningful employment”.

The Recorder, Mrs A Power, jailed Oakes for 16 months after he previously pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding and attempted robbery.