Man 'partially disembowelled' by neighbour in bizarre row over parcel delivery 'didn't realise he'd been stabbed six times'

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Mike Williams, 58, was repeatedly stabbed in the knife attack in Manchester - leaving his "abdominal contents" visible through a wound to his chest

A former boxer was "partially disembowelled" by his next door neighbour during a harrowing knife attack after the pair had a row over a parcel delivery.

The bitter feud began when Mike Williams, 58, received a card from the Royal Mail telling him that his parcel had been left next door with neighbour Allessandro Nicholls.

A few days later Mr Williams, an ex-heavyweight boxer who worked as a doorman for 30 years, went to collect the item - a vitamin sample he ordered online, Manchester Evening News reports.

But his neighbour claimed he knew nothing about the delivery, a court heard - until Nicholls' girlfriend pointed out the parcel which turned out to have been opened.

Mr Williams launched into a torrent of abuse, swearing a the couple and telling them they "belong in a nut", Manchester Crown Court was told.

He then returned home.

Alaric Bassano, prosecuting, said: “Mr Williams’ conduct is not to be condoned. But it does not begin to excuse or justify, or even, it is submitted, significantly mitigate what the defendant did later that day.”

Just six hours after the blazing row, 50-year-old Nicholls - who by then was drunk - went to his neighbours house armed with a baseball bat and a knife.

The court heard that as Mr Williams opened his door, Nicholls shouted "you f******’ b******, I’m going to kill you" then "struck blows" with the knife into his stomach.

A street fight between the two on Lancaster Avenue in Middleton, Manchester then followed - only ending when a witness’s son intervened and Nicholls went back home.

The court heard Williams suffered six stab wounds in total, to his arm, neck and the left side of the chest.

Mr Bassano said his "abdominal contents were visible through the lower chest wound" and he had surgery on the "eviscerated bowel", described as a "life-threatening injury".

But Mr Williams told the MEN he is now back on his feet - other than needing a hernia operation and having numbness in some of his fingers.

“I couldn’t see a knife at first," he said. "I didn’t realise I had been stabbed until I felt something warm coming down me, which was blood.

“I was still able to stand up, I didn’t have any shoes on though. I punched him and he went to the ground.

“One of the doctors in the hospital said I was a ‘man of steel’.”

Nicholls was initially charged with attempted murder but pleaded guilty to wounding with intent. He was jailed for 13 years.

Mr Bassano said the parcel was delivered a week before the attack in March.

He said: “They did not know each other well. The defendant had lived there only a few months and Mr Williams did not know his name.

"He expected his neighbour would bring the parcel to him. This did not happen.”

[Lounge Lizard]

I always knew delivery to neighbours meant trouble.