A TEENAGE dad-to-be has been locked up after repeatedly slashing a love rival who came to his girlfriend’s house in the middle of the night spoiling for a fight.

Southampton Crown Court heard Jacob Woodford “could easily have died” after suffering deep cuts to his head, neck, hands and wrist.

Police found him lying in a pool of blood, drifting in and out of consciousness, after being attacked with a herb cutter by Robert O’Connell, 18, pictured right.

Mr Woodford had turned up with another man at the Weston home of O’Connell’s girlfriend at 1.45am on September 25.

The court heard he was looking for revenge because O’Connell had told Mr Woodford’s partner her boyfriend had had sex with another woman – O’Connell’s girlfriend.

O’Connell’s 16-year-old pregnant partner answered the door, but the conversation soon became heated, and the court heard the 18-year-old, “fearing for the safety of his girlfriend and himself”, came downstairs.

Having picked up the cutter from the kitchen because of Mr Woodford’s “hard man reputation”, he went to the door, where he was soon punched in the face, before a struggle began, which ended with O’Connell launching a frenzied and sustained attack.

Mr Woodford, 20, was left needing 36 stitches in five deep cuts and on anti-depressants for post-traumatic stress disorder, and he has since been forced to abandon a construction course at Eastleigh College because he has lost the use of his little finger after a tendon was slashed.

Judge Gary Burrell said he accepted O’Connell, of Adey Close, Sholing, had initially acted in self-defence, but said it was clear he had “lost it” and gone far too far in his actions.

He gave him credit for his guilty plea, “genuine remorse”, the provocation and previous “impeccable” character, but sentenced him to three years in a young offenders’ institution.

Judge Burrell told O’Connell, who admitted wounding with intent: “You could easily have killed him. If it wasn’t for the quick actions of one of the officers I’m quite sure he would have been very close to death at some point.”