A YORK man who thrust a knife through his friend's cheek during an evening street brawl has been jailed for 12 months.

Victim Richard Hurst started the fight by breaking Andrew Peter Brownlee's nose, said Tom Storey, prosecuting at York Crown Court.

In the struggle that followed Brownlee went to punch Mr Hurst, but he was holding the knife - which went five or six cm through Mr Hurst's cheek into his mouth, preventing him from speaking.

It had to be removed under a general anaesthetic in hospital. At an earlier hearing, Mr Storey had said Hurst produced the knife during the scuffle, but Brownlee managed to get it off him.

"Every action (I am talking about him breaking your nose) produces a reaction," said the Honorary Recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman.

He sentenced Brownlee, 20, of Bedale House, Townend Street, The Groves, to 12 months in jail. Brownlee admitted wounding.

Mr Storey said the two men regularly drank together, and had been drinking with friends since 2.30pm that afternoon, first at Brownlee's flat, then at two city centre pubs. They had left the Cross Keys in Goodramgate shortly before Mr Hurst started the fight.

Mr Hurst had strongly urged the prosecution to drop the charge. After his arrest, Brownlee had told police he had suffered brain damage in a motorcycle accident.

For Brownlee, Helen Hendry said Mr Hurst regularly carried a knife with him and that as he slumped to the ground after the wounding, Brownlee had immediately apologised.

"They were two drunken men fighting in the street," she said.

His failure to take the insulin he needed for more than 24 hours, and the alcohol he had drunk, coupled with not eating properly, had contributed to his offence.

Updated: 12:19 Saturday, July 17, 2004