A "paranoid" teenager who knifed his friend twice in the stomach during a shocking attack in Bradford city centre has been locked up for more than three years.

The broad daylight stabbing, which happened near to the city's Alhambra Theatre, was sparked by the 17-year-old's mistaken belief that his friend, also 17, may have been "setting him up" after a previous incident when he had items of property taken from him.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday that the pair, who cannot be identified because of their age, had been smoking cannabis joints on the afternoon of July 23 last year when the complainant started chatting to another friend on his mobile phone.

The victim noticed his friend looking "strange" and rocking backwards and forwards on his heels before he felt a blow to his stomach.

Prosecutor Abigail Langford said the teenager thought he had been punched and then felt a second blow before he put his hand up to defend himself from the attack.

The court heard as the complainant tried to run away he saw for the first time that the defendant, who had only just turned 17, had a knife in his hand.

The injured teenager collapsed against a wall and a member of the public contacted the emergency services after seeing the wounds to his abdomen.

Miss Langford said the complainant had to undergo exploratory surgery at Leeds General Infirmary after the knife caused lacerations to his small bowel.

The teenager spent a week in hospital after the attack, but had to be readmitted after developing an infection.

In a victim personal statement he described how he still had on-going problems with sleep and pain from his injuries and the court heard he had been left with scarring to his abdomen and hand.

The teenage defendant called the police himself after the stabbing and in his interview he admitted having "angry thoughts" when he attacked his friend.

The defendant said he became "paranoid" when his friend was on the phone and felt angry towards him because of the previous incident.

At an earlier hearing the teenager admitted offences of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing an offensive weapon and today/yesterday Judge Jonathan Rose sentenced to 41 months in a young offenders institution.

The judge said the defendant was a young man of exemplary background and he had read letters written by the teenager in which he demonstrated his remorse.

Judge Rose accepted that recent events in the teenager's life had impacted on his mental health, but instead of seeking assistance he had chosen to smoke cannabis.

"Your use of cannabis was excessive and has had a damaging impact on you and it is a significant factor that the events of the 23rd of July last year took place in the context of you and the complainant smoking cannabis," said the judge.

Judge Rose highlighted the fact the teenager had purchased the "wicked and utterly dangerous knife" some time before the stabbing for his own protection.

He said the complainant had been engaged in an "innocent conversation" on his phone and there was absolutely no reason for the teenager to attack him.

"Thankfully the blows that were struck did not cause life-threatening injuries, but that is entirely fortuitous," said Judge Rose.

"It is entirely luck that you did not cut a vein, an artery or something that could have ended this young man's life and he has laboured under those injuries since."