An army officer has been jailed for eight years for a machete attack on a fellow soldier.

Colour sergeant John Norwood, of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards, was found guilty of the wounding with intent of lance sergeant James Warnock at Mons barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire, on July 11 last year.

It emerged he previously served time for killing his uncle in 1996.

Norwood, from Pollok, Glasgow, returned to court on Monday for sentencing and was jailed for eight years for the violent attack.

David Richards, prosecuting, said the attack sliced Mr Warnock's shoulder and also caused an injury to the nerves of his left hand, meaning he can no longer hold a weapon and faces medical discharge from the army.

Mr Richards told the trial at Portsmouth Crown Court that the attack at Mons barracks followed a confrontation in The George pub in Aldershot town centre, during which Mr Warnock punched the defendant to the ground.

He said Norwood, angered by his wounded pride, returned to the barracks to retrieve a machete and went searching for his victim.

At about 3am, he went to the wrong room and swung the machete at the bed of 24-year-old craftsman Nicholas Wood.

About two hours later he found Mr Warnock's room, where he attacked him.

Norwood, of Priesthill Road, Pollok, Glasgow, told the trial he had taken the machete "to put the fear of God into" his victim.

Sentencing Norwood, judge James Townsend said he took into account the defendant's "exemplary" service in the army.

He added: "The injury suffered was a horrific one and caused him long-term distress and may lead to his discharge or movement in the army."

In a statement read to the court, Mr Warnock, who has served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, said: "I have known danger and faced enemy troops during these tours - the attack on me by John Norwood left me terrified for my own safety in my own camp environment where I should be safe and secure.

"I can only describe how I felt as horrifying. Seeing my mum think she might lose her son was perhaps more upsetting than the assault."

The court was told father-of-two Norwood was previously jailed for 18 months in 1996 for the culpable homicide of his uncle, who died after he fell from a balcony during a fight with Norwood.

The court heard Norwood was not judged to be wholly responsible for the 35-year-old's death because he had refused medical treatment for his injuries but was sentenced to three years detention for the killing.

Norwood was jailed for two years in March 2000 for three counts of wounding following a pub fight in Burnley, Lancashire.

Alistair Wright, defending, said Norwood had written a letter to the judge expressing his regret for the barracks attack.

He added: "This is a loss to the army and, through that, a loss to the rest of us because, but for these events, this is someone you would want looking after your country."