A BRIDGWATER man who vanished after he slashed another man’s throat in a caravan was jailed this week.

Stephen Fidler (pictured), of Saltlands, was handed a 12-month prison sentence at Taunton Crown Court on Friday after previously admitting unlawful wounding.

At an original hearing on Monday, which was delayed, the court heard how schizophrenic Fidler, 34, attacked victim Daniel Proctor with a blade, cutting his throat and face after an argument at a campsite in Middlezoy in September 2008 got out of hand.

Fidler ran away after Mr Proctor tried to fight him off.

Police later saw Fidler walking along the road where he said he had thrown the blade away and admitted slashing Mr Proctor across the throat and said he hoped he had not died, the court was told.

Mr Proctor suffered a superficial slash from his lip to ear, two slashes to his neck and a slash to the windpipe.

The court heard how the delay in sentencing was because Fidler “could not face the music” after he was arrested, and he went on the run.

He was eventually picked up in August last year.

The court was told doctors did not believe the incident was a psychotic episode but Fidler was probably provoked.

Judge Stephen O’Malley told Fidler, who has already served 156 days in prison, the only way he could receive help for his mental health problems from the probation service was to serve a jail term.