A devoted mum has told how her son almost died following a frenzied attack by a teenage knifeman.

Craig Hunter's life hung in the balance after he suffered serious stab wounds to his face and neck at the hands of Peter Scott, 19.

The 27-year-old's jugular vein was cut during the assault, which resulted in massive blood loss.

When paramedics found him lying in a pool of blood at the scene of the attack, at a flat in Braybourne Street, South Shields, they could not find a pulse and he suffered a cardiac arrest on the way to South Tyneside District Hospital.

After being resuscitated by medical staff Craig had to undergo surgery for multiple stab wounds and may still require further operations.

At Newcastle Crown Court today Scott, of Whitehead Street, South Shields, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and was sentenced to four years for the attack plus a further two for drugs offences, making a total of six years behind bars.

The attack happened when the men were with others drinking at the flat on Feburary 5.

An argument erupted and Craig attacked Scott first.

But Scott then picked up a knife lying on a nearby table and launched the ferocious attack.

Craig's mum Vivienne Turnbull said: "The police rang me just after midnight to tell me something had happened.

"My husband drove me straight to hospital and all the way there the policeman was ringing my mobile and said they had managed to stabilise Craig. You just think thank God.

"But when we got to hospital they would not let me in the room to see him, he was covered in tubes and wires and they were fighting to save his life.

"We were taken to a relatives room and told there was a telephone there we could use if we needed to inform anyone else - that was when I knew it was really serious and we could lose him.

"They asked me to identify his tatoos just incase.

"A while later a nurse came into the room and said 'I'm not going to lie to you, he did die but we managed to get him back and he's now on the way to the operating theatre'.

"We were told the next 48 hours were critical and he spent a total of 12 days in hospital, four in intensive care.

"It was only through the dedication of the doctors and nurses he survived, even after the operation he wasn't out of the woods.

"Craig has never been in trouble before and doesn't get involved in fights.

"I don't know what happened in that house that night but if Craig did lose his temper first it must have been something really serious.

"No sentence would have been long enough because Craig will have to live with this for the rest of his life and we live with what happened every day."

Craig has still not been able to return to his job as a sheet metal worker since the attack and had not been out socially.

Defence barrister Tim Gittens told the court how Scott had not gone looking for trouble that night and feels remorse for what happened.

Mr Gittens said Scott had gone off the rails after moving out of his parents' home and into a flat on his own.

Mr Gittens added: "He realises the devastating effect the injuries have had on Mr Hunter and the fact he could have been facing the ultimate offence before the court today."

Judge David Wood told Scott: "In the course of what would otherwise be an ordinary evening a pointless argument sprung up which is the sort of thing regretably tends to happen when adult males sit in a room and drink together.

"As a result Craig Hunter attacked you, I am satisfied about that and he admitts he grabbed you by the throat, strangling you, and you grabbed a knife from the table in front of you.

"All of that is understandable but what is not understandable was the attack that followed.

"You simply lost control of yourself, you stabbed him repeatedly about the head and upper body and caused him really very serious injuries indeed.

"The injuries, as you well know, might easily have been fatal to him had it not been for the care and skill of the medical professionals who were able to treat him very quickly."