A FORMER employee attacked another man with a knife in an Indian restaurant, York Crown Court heard.

York Crown Court heard how Syed Jony, who used to work at The Mogul, in Tanner Row, Toft Green, left the man with five cuts to his head and one on his chin before being arrested in King’s Staith shortly after the assault. Recorder Eric Elliott QC gave Jony a nine-month prison sentence.

Jony, 26, of no fixed abode, previously pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The judge said there was serious local concern about people’s ready use of knives.

Speaking to Jony, he said: “Although you come here for this case as a man without previous convictions, this offence is sufficiently serious to justify a prison sentence.”

Stephanie Hancock, prosecuting, said Jony had travelled from his home in London to the restaurant in July to settle a dispute over money.

When he arrived at The Mogul, he spoke to the victim, who told him the owner was not there.

“The defendant tried to get into the kitchen, but was refused entry by the complainant, who picked up a glass and the defendant then grabbed his hand,” she said.

“The complainant then picked a knife up from the table.

“The defendant in response did exactly the same, picked a knife up from one of the tables. There was then a struggle between the two men.”

She said the victim had since suffered pains in his head that he believed were caused by the assault and he also had trouble washing his hair because of the cuts on his head.

Jony told police all his actions had been in self-defence, but accepted he caused the injuries the complainant suffered.

Miss Hancock said the Crown accepted “this was self-defence gone too far”.

As prisoners are routinely released when they have served half their sentence, Jony, who had already been in custody for 127 days, was released immediately.