Brothers stabbed in arranged fight with former Sunderland housemate after 'silly and childish' dispute

Lee and Jake Cowling had fallen out with James Greenall over "contribution" towards their shared home.

Newcastle Crown Court heard during an angry exchange over text messages the men agreed to meet and fight.

In the violence that followed Greenall, who was armed with a knife, inflicted multiple stabs and slashes and left Lee Cowling with a gaping chest wound, as well as lacerations beneath his shoulder, to his neck and to his scalp.

He was "close to death" when paramedics arrived, needed emergency medical intervention at the scene and was treated in the operating theater at hospital.

Jake Cowling, who had intervened to try and protect his brother, was stabbed in the stomach but the wound he suffered was superficial.

Lee Cowling said in a victim statement, which was read in court: "I am still in shock about what happened.

"I can't believe my friend done this to me.

"I genuinely thought I was going to die."

He added: "Never in a million years did I expect to nearly die at the hands of someone I called a friend, who brandished a knife."

Jake Cowling said in his statement, which was also read out: "This incident has left me totally shocked. I have not slept for days thinking about it.

"My brother could have been killed over a petty argument.

"Had I not been quick to react, my injuries could have been a lot worse.

"I can't believe he could have done this after all these years."

The court heard the violence flared on January 10 when the brothers went to Greenall's address, found he wasn't in but clashed when they got back to their home and he was outside.

Prosecutors accept the Cowling brothers were armed with a knuckle duster and a baton.

Greenall, 30, of Athol Road, Hendon, Sunderland, admitted two charges of unlawful wounding and possessing a knife and a hammer.

Mr Recorder Mark Guiliani sentenced him to three years behind bars.

The judge told him: "You were friends with Lee and Jake Cowling, at one point even living with them.

"There was some argument occurred in respect of your contribution towards the home when you were living with them.

"Whatever it was, matters got out of hand.

"It is clear from the text messages that the Cowling brothers and you agreed to engage in a consensual fight. You must understand fighting consensually is unlawful."

The judge added: "Lee Cowling and you ended up in a fight, during the course of which you took the knife out and stabbed him three times. You caused a 30cm laceration to the left side of his chest, a laceration under his shoulder, a laceration to the left side of his neck that needed clamped when paramedics attended and a 4cm laceration to his scalp.

"When paramedics attended they could not find any blood pressure. It is clear therefore he was close to death."

The judge said Lee Cowling's injuries were "grave and life threatening" whereas the stab wound to Jake Cowling's stomach was superficial.

Christopher Knox, defending, said all involved had a "willingness to fight" and added: "There was a dispute between friends which was silly and childish.

"There was a willingness on each part to resolve matters.

"This was not a case of someone attacking someone in the street in an unprovoked basis."