A RETIRED Gwent hotelier stabbed a pal twice after claiming the friend taunted him for years about his wife.

Now 62-year-old Kenneth Jenkins is facing a substantial prison sentence after being convicted of wounding with intent.

Jenkins, of Inner Loop, Beachley, near Chepstow, who ran a guest house and restaurant in Chepstow for more than 20 years, told a jury at Gloucester Crown Court that members of a golfing society called the Bobcats had ribbed him for years about the supposed fling between his wife Rose and pal Anthony Friendship 30 years ago – something Mrs Jenkins denied.

On March 11 last year, Jenkins snapped after Mr Friendship allegedly pinched 60-year-old Mrs Jenkins’ bottom, the court heard.

Jenkins followed Mr Friendship, his former welding apprentice, into the gents at the Rising Sun pub in Woodcroft, near Chepstow, and knifed him in the back as he stood at a urinal.

When Mr Friendship turned to face Jenkins he was stabbed again in the stomach.

Jenkins punched Mr Friendship in the face several times before a mutual friend Keith Fletcher separated them. Mr Fletcher seized a lock knife from Jenkins.

Mr Friendship was rushed to hospital and was detained for two nights for treatment to his damaged spleen but has made a good physical recovery.

Jenkins admitted unlawfully wounding Mr Friendship but denied doing it with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He claimed in evidence he was on strong medication for depression at the time and he had no recollection at all of what happened in the pub toilet.

Jenkins said he had the knife in his pocket because he had earlier used it to open a packing case at home but he had forgotten it was with him.

But the jury convicted him by a majority of 10-2 of the more serious charge of wounding with intent.

Mrs Jenkins said she and her husband of 29 years had run the Afon Gwy guest house and restaurant in Chepstow between 1984 and 2007 when they retired.

He had become distant and moody in 2010/11 and eventually asked if it was true she had once had an affair with Mr Friendship.

“I said ‘What on earth are you talking about? Of course I haven’t’,” Mrs Jenkins said.

“He told me he had heard a while back at the local athletics club that I had had an affair.”

Her husband told her Mr Friendship and other ‘Bobcats’ had taunted him with comments about her.

At the time of the attack, she said, he was taking Citalopram and Temazepam and he was suffering from hallucinatory nightmares.

Mr Friendship denied that he had been spreading rumours that he’d had sex with Rose Jenkins 30 years ago or saying he would like to sleep with her.

Recorder Peter Fuller bailed Jenkins for a pre-sentence and psychiatric report until Feb 24.