A TEENAGER who stabbed a fellow Iranian asylum seeker in a “frenzied” revenge knife attack that caused life-threatening injuries has been locked up for 12 years.

Soheil Bahmanifard, of Morden Lane, Newport, was told by a judge he will probably be deported from the UK upon his release from custody.

The 18-year-old was convicted by a jury of wounding Amirreza Ramezani with intent outside the Gap centre, a church-run community venue, on the city’s Stow Hill.

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He was cleared of the more serious charge of attempted murder.

During the course of his trial, it emerged that the two Iranian men had grown to loathe each other while they attended the Gap centre run by Bethel Community Church.

It offers help and support to refugees and asylum seekers living in Newport.

The jury were told there was “tension” and “a mutual dislike” between the pair and that the defendant had falsely accused Mr Ramezani of having an affair with the centre manager Sarah Croft.

On the day of the stabbing, at around 12.30pm on Friday, June 14, the jury heard how a fight had broken out between the two men and that fists had flown.

After coming out second best, Bahmanifard went inside the centre and armed himself with a large kitchen knife before he carried out what prosecutor James Wilson described as a “frenzied” attack.

Judge Neil Bidder QC told the defendant at Cardiff Crown Court: “Bad feeling had grown up between you and the victim who was another Iranian asylum seeker.

"The motivation for this attack was a loss of face in the earlier fight. You wanted to revenge yourself upon him.

“There was a significant degree of premeditation. You had selected the kitchen knife.

“You used a very dangerous weapon and it is an aggravating factor that this was a very determined and persistent attack.

“The victim has been left with permanent and visible scarring.

“With the knife, you wielded it 10 or so times towards him. You were stabbing upwards towards his stomach and chest and you caused very serious wounds.”

Mr Ramezani suffered a puncture wound to the lining of his lung and later needed plastic surgery at Swansea’s Morriston Hospital for injuries to his left arm.

Judge Bidder praised the Newport hospital staff who saved the victim’s life.

He said: “The puncture wound to the lining of the lung came within a millimetre of his heart.

“Mr Ramezani received excellent emergency care at the Royal Gwent Hospital which was essential because his chest injury was life-threatening.

“He has clearly been very significantly impacted by your attack. He thought he was going to die.

“He is now unable to lift anything heavy with his left hand and has flashbacks and trouble sleeping.”

The teenager admitted that he armed himself with the blade but claimed he did so to protect himself from the victim who he insisted had assaulted him first after a row and insulted him by calling his mother a prostitute.

Judge Bidder told Bahmanifard: “I accept as mitigation that you don’t speak good English and you are far away from your family.

“It is likely you will be deported on your release, but that’s not a matter for me.

“I saw no evidence of any remorse when you gave evidence.”

The defendant was sent to a young offender institution and told he will have to serve half of his 12-year sentence before being eligible for parole.

Speaking outside the court, Detective Constable Michelle Thorne, the officer in the case, said: “This was a frenzied attack which could have easily led to the victim losing his life.

"This assault has had a profound effect on the victim and I hope today’s sentencing will bring him some closure to start moving on with his life.

“I would like to thank the members of the public and staff who came to the victim’s aid in particular the woman who drove the victim to hospital.

“Knives have no place is our communities and I hope this lengthy sentence sends a message to anyone thinking of carrying or using a knife to think of the consequences.

“If anyone has any information about individuals involved in knife crime or has any concerns, please call Gwent police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency always dial 999.”