A Co Antrim man convicted of attempted murder of a Catholic has been jailed for 16 years.
Neil White (30) was part of a gang who strangled and repeatedly stabbed Michael Reid during an attack in Ballymena, Co Antrim, in 2003.
Mr Justice Coghlin, sentencing Neil White at Belfast Crown Court today
The victim, who has since gone into hiding, was visiting a Protestant friend in Ballymena's staunchly Protestant Harryville district when White and two other men arrived at the house and attacked him.
Mr Reid was throttled with cable and stabbed repeatedly after they discovered his religion. Mr Reid told the court in evidence that he thought he was going to die and "went limp" and pretended to be dead.
While the other two went to get a saw, the victim made a dash for the door but was caught and stabbed again by White.
Sentencing White at Belfast Crown Court today, Mr Justice Coghlin told him: "You were assigned to guard the victim while others left the premises with the chilling words: 'We are going to have to get a saw to cut him up, look at the size of him'."
White, of Wakehurst Road, Ballymena, pleaded guilty last week to charges of attempted murder.
After a struggle Mr Reid managed to escape, running about 150 yards before collapsing on the road where a police patrol found him.
Doctors said he was lucky to be alive because he had lost so much blood. Miraculously the knife had missed his vital organs.
Two other men sought by police in connection with the attempted murder have gone on the run since his arrest.