A former soldier who repeatedly stabbed an extremely vulnerable man in a sinister attack was jailed for 12 years on Monday.

A judge told Connor Young that the wounds had been inflicted in a controlled way which made the attack “almost sadistic" and "extremely disturbing and sinister".

Judge David Aubrey, QC, ruled that he was dangerous and imposed a three year extended licence on the 23-year-old Birkenhead man.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how the victim, Daniel Rock, suffers from multiple personality disorders, ADHD, and high functioning autism.

His mum told how when stressed or not taking his medication he switches to another personality called Jimmy, who controls him. “So-called friends” took advantage of him, she said.

Trevor Parry-Jones, prosecuting, told the court, ”This defendant Connor Young fits that description of being a 'so called friend'."

Mr Rock and Young had been staying at the flat of Young's friend, Christopher Jones, in King Street, Wallasey.

The pair drank at his home on April 27 and again two days later when they came round with beers, against his wishes.

He was annoyed and went to see his girlfriend, but when he returned saw Mr Rock walking towards him, his orange jumper covered in blood.

"He described him as having blood pouring from him, with wounds everywhere,” said Mr Parry-Jones.

Connor had stabbed the victim 27 times after he had fallen asleep on a settee.

Armed police were called after Mr Rock was found in St Elmo Road, Wallasey, shortly before noon. A large carving knife was found by stairs in the flats' communal area and forensic analysis revealed Young's DNA on the handle and the victim's DNA on the blade.

Young, who was found in a grassed area in Charlotte Road, with blood on his face, said, "I'm hiding. I've stabbed someone because they tried to stab me."

He ran off but was sprayed with incapacitant and arrested before being taken to hospital with multiple cuts to his right hand.

The court heard that Young, of Beckwith Street, claimed, ”I had been playing an egg and spoon race when I fell, the egg went under the railing and I cut my hands on the barbed wire getting the egg."

The victim described Young as a "good friend" to whom he gave him money and bought him alcohol and cigarettes. They "got on the cocaine" and Young encouraged him to drink vodka and he fell asleep.

His next recollection was being helped outside and a man shouted that "Youngy" had stabbed him twice and thrown a knife away.

He had suffered wounds to his face, head and body and a deep wound to his right palm which severed a tendon.

Doctors believed the injures were "inflicted in a controlled way”, said Mr Parry-Jones.

Young had been due to face trial for attempted murder but his plea to wounding with intent was accepted by the prosecution.

Defence barrister Ian Whitehurst, said while Young claimed self-defence in pre-sentence and psychiatric reports, he maintained his guilty pleas on the "full facts" of the prosecution case.

He has no previous convictions and had provided references from his family and former Army regiment, with whom he had a "promising career" until it was cut short by a hand injury.

Sentencing Young, Judge Aubrey, QC, said Young continued to "seek to minimise the enormity" of what he did to an "extremely vulnerable" victim, whom he had ”gratuitously degraded".

"You took advantage of him in respect of money and I am satisfied that you were manipulating and controlling him."

He said there was "no connection" between Young's "self-reported" PTSD and the attack, which was not "impulsive".

"It was a sustained and callous attack on such a vulnerable person, well managed, controlled and very prolonged."