10 years' prison for stabbing a former pal; Attacker 'had been bullied by victim for years'.

Byline: Suzanne Evans

A MAN stabbed his former friend 13 times after suffering years of bullying at his hands, a court heard.

Rhys Alun Lewis was sentenced to 10 years' custody at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court after pleading guilty to the attempted murder of Jonathan Sheppard.

He will spend four and a half years in custody, reduced by the time he has spent on remand since January.

Lewis carried out the attack outside the Bryn Stores on Primrose Hill after becoming convinced by friends' claims that Mr Sheppard had carried out a humiliating invasive search of the accused while he was incapacitated in hospital following a drugs binge.

The court heard that he was likely to have still been under the influence of the diazepam that he had taken days before and had caused him to be admitted to hospital.

Tom Crowther, prosecuting, told the court that 24-year-old Mr Sheppard was stabbed 13 times and required surgery to treat the "significant" wounds, one to his shoulder and 12 to his torso, which perforated his bowel and stomach.

The court heard that after the fracas outside the shop, Mr Sheppard challenged 20-year-old Lewis, of Primrose Hill, Twynyrodyn, Merthyr, to a further fight, not realising that he had been stabbed.

The court heard that Lewis and Mr Sheppard had been "on-and-off" friends for a number of years but that Lewis had been bullied by him.

Days before the attack, Mr Sheppard had arranged for Lewis, who had used drugs before, to buy a tub of 1,000 diazepam.

After taking some of the bottle, he had to be admitted to hospital.

Lewis' friends told him Mr Sheppard had gone to the hospital and made a humiliating search of him while he was in bed.

This, the court heard, was the catalyst for Lewis' street attack outside the shop.

Nicholas Gareth Jones, defending Lewis, who has previous convictions, including one for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, said that he had never been in prison before, but was looking positively towards the future and wanted to become educated in prison.

Sentencing Lewis, Judge John Curran said he was satisfied it was not a premeditated offence.

"There has been a history between the two young men, and a history of bullying towards the defendant," said Judge Curran.

"The defendant was told that he was searched while in bed by Jonathan Sheppard in a humiliating way, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back as a result of the previous history of bullying."

CAPTION(S):

Rhys Alun Lewis leaves court in Merthyr Tydfil after being sentenced to 10 years' jail for the attempted murder of his former friend