A MAN who attacked his landlord with kebab knife has been jailed for six-and-a-half years.

Ali Yildiz, 33, flew into a rage after rowabout unpaid bills with Theo Papadamou who was renting him Papa’s Fish and Chip Shop in East Street, Wivenhoe.

He slashed at him with a footlong knife, cutting a bone and severing an artery in his arm.

Yildiz was cleared of attempted murder by a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday, but was jailed after he admitted grievous bodily harm with intent and assault.

Judge David Turner QC told Yildiz: “There was blood everywhere and there was anger and venom in your face.

“They said this was out of character, but the attack was a loss of control of very considerable gravity.

“Mr Papadmou was defenceless and Miss Trundle was yelling at you to stop.

“You were completely agitated, pumped up and raging.

“It was ten to 15 seconds’ rage and horror for the Papadamous and left other people shocked and upset.

“One witness described the scene as a something out of a horror movie.

“You did it mid-morning, in a familiar place where people were going about their daily lives and straight after, reality dawned and it dawned on you too.”

Yildiz, of Maple Avenue, Chingford, was leasing the restaurant and Mr Papadamou had arrived on September 16 with bailiff Alan Harmer to evict him.

Yildiz got agitated and said twice to Mr Harmer: “I’m going to kill him.”

He chased Mr Papadamou out of the shop, knocking over his wife and swiping the professionally sharpened knife in the area of his landlord’s head, back and shoulders.

Mr Papadamou, 62, stopped and turned, bringing his left arm up to defend hismelf and Yildiz drove the knife into his forearm.

Yildiz was seen saying words to the effect of: “What have I done.”

He has spent five months in custody and he will serve half of his sentence behind bars.

Martyn Levett, mitigating, asked the judge to consider human fault and emotion when deciding Yildiz’s sentence, who has no previous convictions.