A 21-year-old thug who had a knife fight in a residential High Wycombe street was starting over seven years in jail today.

Omar Zaheer had brandished a machete on Chairborough Road, where he stabbed Imran Ahmed multiple times on June 16 last year, a court heard.

Police were called by horrified neighbours who were alerted as Zaheer, previously of Bushey Close, slashed at Mr Ahmed, who was also armed, before driving away. The incident was captured on CCTV, a judge was told.

Richard Potts, prosecuting, said: “The defendant had a weapon in his hand, which was a machete and he lunged towards Mr Ahmed and struck in the left side of his body a number of times, causing two large wounds - one to the shoulder and one to the arm.

“A number of neighbours clearly had their attention drawn to what had taken place because they called the police. The police found Mr Ahmed at a friend’s address nearby, with the injuries.”

The court heard that Mr Ahmed had not co-operated with the police investigation and had later been convicted of possessing an offensive weapon.

Zaheer was convicted, following a trial, of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon, which he had denied. He was also convicted of assaulting another inmate in prison on August 11 last year, after he was remanded to HMP Bullingdon.

He had previous convictions for possession with intent to supply class A drugs, breaching a suspended sentence, obstruction of police and dangerous driving, the court heard.

Curtis Myrie, defending Zaheer, told the court he was “immature” and had only been aged 20 at the time of the offence.

“His experience of trauma affected his development, he witnessed domestic violence as a child”, Mr Myrie said. “He himself was the victim of domestic violence as a child.”

Judge Thomas Rochford, sitting at the Amersham Law Courts, said he believed Zaheer was “dangerous” and appeared to “regard the carrying of knives as normal” so needed to face additional time on licence.

The judge told Zaheer, who appeared by video link from Bullingdon: “I do not conclude that this was a pre-planned attack by you. I am not satisfied that you were out looking for Mr Ahmed.

“But you did have that machete with you and I can only conclude that you had it with you to use if and when the opportunity to use arose.

“In my judgement you were looking for trouble, looking for violence.”

The judge sentenced Zaheer to seven years and three months in prison with an extended licence period of two years.