A BRITISH soldier who served in the army for 13 years has been jailed after stabbing a man in Barrow.

A judge said Sean Callan, of Chester Street in Barrow, ‘could have killed’ his victim as he jailed the dad for 18 months.

Preston Crown Court heard the male attended hospital for his injuries where he was found to have sustained a stab wound to the left side area of his ribs which had also caused injury to his lung. He was treated with stitches.

The court heard 34-year-ol Callan had embarked on three operational tours in his time in the army; two of which were during the Afghanistan war.

In a reference from Callan’s Colonel Commanding Officer, the court heard he had ‘excelled in the most testing of situations’ and provided an ‘exceptional service’ when training new recruits at the Army Training Regiment in Grantham, Lincolnshire.

His Honour Judge Graham Knowles said: “You could have killed him by that one blow you struck.

“It was by sheer chance that was not the result. There could have been catastrophic consequences.

“You have been an outstanding role model and instructor when training over 250 recruits to the highest of standards.

“It is an utter calamity that you stand here today given your service to the King, the Queen and to the people of this country.

“You have brought the wreck of your military career on yourself.”

Callan pleaded guilty on the day of trial in March to unlawfully and maliciously wounding a male with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

The court heard Callan went to the complainant’s home address on York Street, Barrow, on February 1 2022 armed with a four-inch kitchen knife.  

Prosecutor Claire Larton said: “At around 7:30 pm, the complainant received a phone call from the defendant’s partner saying that she was splitting up with him as he was too clingy and needy.

“About 45 minutes later the complainant heard loud kicks on his front door and the defendant shouting ‘I’m going to kill you’ and ‘get out here now’.

“The complainant answered the front door and asked him ‘what are you doing?’ There was then a fight between them during which the complainant felt a sharp pain to his side.

“The complainant was able to put the defendant to the ground and after a few punches he asked him to let go which he did.

“After the defendant had left, the complainant told Callan’s partner that she had some explaining to do.”

Callan was arrested at 11:50 pm later that day when police were called to a different incident of the defendant arguing with a female on Crellin Street, the court was told.

He told officers ‘smart people don’t get caught’ when having swabs taken at the police station before answering no comment in a police interview, the court heard.

Ms Larton told the court there were two other incidents prior to the day of the assault which showed the defendant had ‘hostile intentions’ towards the complainant.

She said messages were sent between the defendant and the complainant in October 2021 relating to the defendant saying he would attack the complainant in York Street upon his return to the Barrow area.

Ms Larton said Callan also offered to fight the complainant at a laundrette in Barrow just a few days before the stabbing.

She said the cause of the dispute appeared to be related to the defendant’s former partner.

In mitigation, Claire Brockelbank said her client was ‘genuinely remorseful’.

She added: “He regrets his actions and wishes he could go back. He has taken the knife with him and lost his temper. There is no excuses for his behaviour.

“He was trusted with the responsibility of training new recruits to the highest of standards. He is spoken of very highly by his superiors and by those he has trained.

“He is a family man. Custody is going to have a significant impact on his 11-month-year-old child.”