A TANDOORI chef in a Suffolk restaurant has been jailed for five years for stabbing a colleague within an inch of his life.Sayful Haque had pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm.

A TANDOORI chef in a Suffolk restaurant has been jailed for five years for stabbing a colleague within an inch of his life.

Sayful Haque had pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Ipswich Crown Court heard that Haque, 34, stabbed 47-year-old Mohammed Khan up to 10 times with a six-inch bladed kitchen knife. Mr Khan's thumb was almost severed during the incident.

Stephen Dyble said Haque, who is known as a holy man who converted his room into a mosque, rowed with Mr Khan about moving potatoes from a sink into a bucket.

The court heard the pair often exchanged verbal abuse due to Mr Khan's liking of "drinking, smoking and gambling" which conflicted with Islamic teachings.

Mr Dyble said: "The defendant picked up a knife and said he was going to kill him."

Haque, of Bangladesh and living in this country illegally, lunged at his victim slashing his stomach.

When Mr Khan tried to grab the knife his thumb was severely cut.

Haque then used another knife as a dagger and stabbed Mr Khan's chest and arm.

Mr Khan said he felt he was dying when Haque went upstairs to his flat to discard his blood soaked tee shirt and the knife. Haque then fled to the White Chapel area of London.

Mr Khan was treated at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston where he had to be resuscitated, have blood transfusions and his injured spleen removed.

When Haque, who worked at the Laziza takeaway restaurant in London Road South, Lowestoft, and lived above it, was arrested he had a stab wound to his stomach. However medical experts said it had happened some three days after the fight in Lowestoft.

Haque, of previous good character told police Mr Khan had attacked him and stabbed him so he had retaliated.

However, it was revealed that Haque's stab wound was self-inflicted.

Judge John Devaux jailed Haque for five years.