"you had grown angry on that night."
Ashwani Kumar, aged 46, of Tipton, was jailed for 15 months after he slashed his ex-boss in the face with a knife during a “scuffle” over unpaid wages.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that he had been sacked by Harnek Singh Dhaliwal for poor performance.
Kumar worked for Mr Dhaliwal for a few weeks before he was sacked in September 2019.
Two weeks later, he called his ex-boss almost 20 times, demanding extra money he believed he was still owed.
The pair then confronted each other and got into a brawl in Smethwick, with Mr Dhaliwal “making a beeline” for Kumar.
But Kumar, who had been drinking alcohol, “almost instantly” brandished the “dangerous” blade and stabbed his former boss in the arm and chin.
Mr Dhaliwal suffered a 15cm wound to his chin.
Kumar then tried to hide the knife by throwing it on a roof.
William Dudley, prosecuting, said the “short-lived” attack was premeditated and planned.
Kumar was convicted of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Simon Williams, defending, said Kumar’s actions were “completely out of character”.
Since coming to the UK from India, he has “worked hard” and has never claimed benefits.
Mr Williams said his client sends part of his £1,800 monthly wage to India to clear his father’s medical bills.
He added: “He was shocked to cause the injury and he is deeply remorseful.”
Judge John Butterfield QC said:
“He let you go because he was not satisfied with your standard of work.”
“You had been paid for all of your work, say a couple of hours on your final day. About two weeks past before you rang him, seemingly to seek extra money.
“It was not clear to Mr Dhaliwal what you were asking for – whether you wanted payment for the final two hours or saying you had lost an entire week of work so should get a week’s worth of wages.
“But two weeks had gone by and it was late on a Friday when you rang him. You were in drink and you rang him repeatedly, perhaps as many as 19 times.
“That leads me to conclude that your mood had darkened while you were in drink and you had grown angry on that night.
“On the phone, you were abusive and unpleasant.
“I’m in no doubt he was angry as a result, and when the car in which he was a passenger eventually came up to meet you, he did indeed make a beeline straight for you.
“You had armed yourself in advance and when a scuffle developed, almost instantly, you quickly took out the Stanley knife-style implement.
“You used that weapon to slash Mr Dhaliwal, causing two unpleasant wounds – one was to his arm and a very serious one to his chin.
“He used to be clean-shaven but has now decided he has to sport facial hair.”
Kumar was jailed for 15 months. He was also handed a five-year restraining order.
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