A CHEF was slashed with a knife after he was forced to kneel in a bath because of a debt, a court was told yesterday.

Calvin Jeff, a chef at two Teesside restaurants, was forced to kneel fully clothed in the bath, which was full of water, by workmate Peter Agatha, who he had earlier seen with a gun.

Teesside Crown Court heard that Agatha, who worked with Mr Jeff at Rigotoni's restaurant in Middlesbrough town centre, produced an eight-inch kitchen knife, which he ran across Mr Jeff's throat.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, told the court that Agatha then slashed the blade across the back of Mr Jeff's neck, causing a four-inch cut.

Agatha, 31, fled, taking a vanload of Mr Jeff's furniture from his nearby home.

He later told police that Mr Jeff, 23, owed him £900 and had been missing in Spain for three months without repaying him.

The court heard that while Agatha was remanded in custody, Mr Jeff received threats and was moved from his Middlesbrough home to a police safe house.

Mr Jeff told police he only borrowed £100 from Agatha but had paid him another £400 under duress.

Agatha, of Outram Street, Middlesbrough, was jailed for four and a half years after he pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and making a threat to kill in October last year.

His girlfriend, Bernadette Delacruz, 26,of the same address was given 200 hours community punishment after she pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.