KOSOVAN asylum seeker Fred Pjetri has been jailed for seven years for playing his part in a violent fracas in Swindon town centre.

Shoppers in the busy precinct scattered as the 19-year-old stabbed a fellow countryman with a Samurai sword on May 8, Swindon Crown Court heard.

Sentencing him yesterday His Honour Judge Tom Longbotham told him: "For some reason, a reason which has never been made clear in this trial, there was a dispute between at least two factions of your countrymen.

"The court and jury have heard some terrible details of what happened on May 8.

"Men and women of all ages, going about their normal business in Swindon, were suddenly confronted with an explosion of violence and the jury has heard evidence that you, as the person involved in that, shouted to members of your group to 'attack'; and attack they did.

"You used that sword to stab Mr Shala, a wound which the jury has seen in photographs and heard about. It was a deep wound. It may be that it was more by luck than judgement that you're not standing here on the most serious of criminal charges."

The judge told Pjetri, of Maxwell Street, Swindon, that violence of the kind he committed would not be tolerated by the courts.

He added: "The violence that you unleashed involved not only a terrible injury to Gazmend Shala but also a facial injury to Afrim Sulaj who was attacked, apparently with a knife, and slashed across the face."

During the four day trial witnesses said the incident seemed surreal and was like watching actors playing out the parts of characters in a violent film.

The court heard that Pjetri, who has been in this country for two years and is seeking political asylum in the UK, stands a risk of being deported after he has served his time.

Prosecution Richard Smith said that in the weeks running up to the incident Pjetri, had fallen out Mr Shala, who lived with fellow Kosovans in Manchester Road.

Other Kosovans in Pjetri's group had fled the town within hours of the lunchtime incident in Regent Street, the court heard.

Pjetri was sentenced to seven years for wounding with intent Gazmend Shala, a fellow asylum seeker.

He was further sentenced, concurrently, to three years for violent disorder and two years for possessing an offensive weapon.