A NEWPORT man was jailed for attacking a man with a Samurai sword on a busy shopping street in the city.

James Powell, 40, of Charlotte Green, was sentenced at Newport Crown Court yesterday for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. He pleaded guilty to both offences at an earlier hearing.

The court heard that the incident took place on January 30, 2014, on Commercial Street at around 12pm. James Wilson, prosecuting, said the defendant approached the victim Lewis Enos and witness Grant Cuthbert, while carrying a carrier bag which had a silver blade protruding out the bottom and a sword handle at the top.

The court heard that Powell used the sword on the victim by slicing at his neck under the jaw bone but there was no damage as the plastic bag in which the sword was in had acted as a sheath to the blade. The defendant then swung the sword again and the victim defended himself with punches.

The court heard that the victim sustained a deep cut to his forearm from the samurai sword which was 21 inches from point to handle.

Mr Wilson said: "He says (witness) James lifted his right hand and raised it slicing Lewis across the neck. The sword contacted the left side of his face underneath the chin bone - there was no damage.

“If the first time went through it would have taken his head off."

The witness said the attack lasted three to four minutes.

The defendant was arrested later that day at his home where police found the bag covered in blood and the sword.

The court heard that the defendant in a police interview had said he had been drinking and had previously been attacked by four men one of whom had had hit him with a knuckle duster.

Owen Williams, defending, told the court the sword was the defendant's mothers.

He said: "The defendant accepts his wrongdoing. He expressed remorse for his wrongdoing and explains that of course what he did was very serious and it was an out of character experience.

"He has never before been convicted of any offences apart from an absence without leave from the British Army."

Mr Williams told the court that Powell suffered from symptoms of anxiety and had previously misused drugs.

Judge Crowther QC said: “You used a sword in a public place as a result of a vendetta you used it because you felt threatened.”

"This was all done at midday on a busy shopping street seen by members of the public who witnessed this acutely dangerous situation.”

Powell was sentenced to 18 month imprisonment for both offences which will run concurrently.