A CRIMINAL who stabbed a man outside a nightclub has had his sentence increased at the Court of Appeal by three years.

Liam Rowbotham was originally sentenced to four years in jail at Teesside Crown Court for his attack on Jamie Hunt outside a Hartlepool nightclub.

However, that was been reviewed at the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentences Scheme and he will now be imprisoned for seven years and two months.

The judge who made the original sentence, Judge George Moorhouse, was criticised earlier this week by the area's three crime commissioners for sparing a domestic abuser jail.

The court heard that Mr Hunt had needed surgery, including a blood transfusion, after he was stabbed in the neck with a lock knife in February this year, narrowly missing his artery.

Rowbotham, formerly of Jesmond Square, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of an offensive weapon in June.

Speaking after the Court of Appeal hearing, the Attorney General, Jeremy Wright QC MP, said:

“Liam Rowbotham has a violent history. On the night of the attack, he deliberately armed himself with a knife and during a fight stabbed his victim, causing him serious injury.

“I referred this case to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient because the original sentence failed to reflect the seriousness of the attack."

At the Teesside Crown Court hearing on June 20, this year Rowbotham was sentenced by Judge Moorhouse. Rowbotham has previous convictions for unlawful wounding in 2009 and causing grievous bodily harm with intent in 2012.

Judge Moorhouse was jointly criticised by Cleveland Crime Commissioner Barry Coppinger, along with Northumberland Crime Commissioner, Vera Baird and Durham Commissioner Ron Hogg for giving a 12 months suspended sentence to Anthony Bruce, of Chester-le-Street, who assaulted his wife by biting and throttling her, holding a knife to her throat and shooting her in the toe with a pellet.