A CAMPER who got "carried away" filming a spoof wildlife video diary was stabbed after he laughed when a man fell out of a hammock.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the man behind camera had assumed an accent similar to David Attenborough's when he approached Simon Muttitt's hammock during a group expedition to Penshaw Monument woodland, in Houghton le Spring.

The cameraman said: "We are in the woods creeping about looking for wildlife."

As Muttitt swears, clearly unhappy about being filmed, the victim continued his parody film and added: "What we have here is an angry gaffer.

"Amongst the trees, an angry gaffer. We have language, we have strange behaviour from the angry gaffer."

The sleepy 45-year-old, who had been drinking around a fire before settling in for the night in the hammock, repeatedly swore and waved a knife about before falling out of the outdoor bed to screams of laughter from the victim.

The court was told Muttitt initially flung the weapon that he was carrying for bushcraft, before picking it up and swinging it at his victim's leg.

The weapon caused two gashes that were initially dressed by the victim himself using wet wipes and then steri-stripped at hospital the day after the

attack in November 2015.

Muttitt, of Tatham Street, Sunderland, was convicted of wounding with intent after a trial by jury.

He had admitted the lesser charge of unlawful wounding, which was rejected by prosecutors.

Judge Robert Spragg sentenced him to three years behind bars.

The judge said: "He was making a video diary of what took place. You got into your hammock. It is clear you were drunk. He filmed it.

"During the course of it, it is clear he carried on videoing, despite you telling him to stop and telling him to go away.

"Your hammock collapsed. He found it funny, you didn't. You had a knife in your hand, a knife used for bushcraft.

"You flung the knife and it caught him in the leg. You then forcibly swung the knife at his leg."

The court heard the victim's injuries healed without problems.

Barry Robson defending, said Muttitt, who has previous convictions, has "kept himself to himself" since he was last in trouble in 2011.