Mohammed Alshafi, 26, left Craig Cardwell with 11 stab wounds, six broken ribs, a fractured cheek bone, punctured lungs and a spinal injury after the assault last October.

Alshafi then went on the run, sparking a nationwide manhunt, fleeing first to Birmingham and then to Ireland, where he was caught.

"This was a brutal and sustained assault which could easily have cost Craig his life had it not been for the bravery of people at the scene, including off-duty paramedics, who came to his aid," said Detective Constable Sally Blair.

The attack happened shortly before 7pm on October 2, 2024.

Cardwell, 38, had confronted Alshafi in the street over allegations Alshafi had assaulted his girlfriend.

During the altercation, Alshafi pulled out a flick knife from his coat pocket and carried out a sustained attack on Cardwell, before fleeing the scene on foot.

Cardwell, who needed five bags of blood given to him at the scene due to the amount of blood he had lost, was taken to Royal Preston Hospital.

In a statement, he described how he thought he was going to die from the attack.

He explained how his life has changed both physically and emotionally, saying he still suffers pain and discomfort throughout his body and struggles with panic attacks and flashbacks.

Alshafi, of no fixed address, was found guilty after a trial of attempted murder, possession of a bladed article and assault, before being sentenced this week.

"Alshafi is clearly a man with a proclivity to extreme violence, and I welcome this significant sentence which reflects the gravity of his crimes," added DC Blair.