A DEVIZES stabbing victim has spoken of the ordeal he and his wife have suffered since he was attacked with a knife in the town centre on a Sunday lunchtime.

The 35-year-old self employed plasterer spoke after cricketer Luke De Souza pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding at Swindon Crown Court having previously denied intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

His victim said: "Six months after the attack I am still in agony and have to take 20 pain killers a day. I am unable to walk for more than about 20 minutes and it is impossible for me to go back to work.

"I have been told I might never be able to return to plastering or another active type of job. I am not the sort of bloke who wants an office job.

"I am sporty but I can't now play football or tennis. It has completely changed me as a person.

"I used to be very outgoing but now I don't feel comfortable going out and we have had to miss a lot of celebrations for family and friends."

In court the judge was told the victim had only needed five sutures in his leg but yesterday he revealed that on the night of the attack he had needed an operation under general anaesthetic to wash out and close his jagged wound.

After he was released from Great Western Hospital he remained in tremendous pain and had to call out paramedics for help.

He was later referred by a Swindon doctor to a specialist at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London where he underwent a four-hour operation to repair nerve damage to his leg.

His 32-year-old wife, who works as a receptionist, said: "Neither of us have been able to sleep. The whole thing has been tremendously stressful.

"I have been worried about my husband but also about money. He was self-employed and making good money but now he is earning nothing."

She said that before the attack on February 5 life was looking good for them as they had just moved into a rented home in Devizes and they were planning to start IVF treatment in a bid to have a baby.

She said: "We have had to put that on hold for now. It could be that we will lose our home and the chance to have a baby because of what has happened. It has turned our whole lives upside down."

The victim, who grew up in Devizes, went to Devizes School and played football for Devizes and cricket for Potterne, said he only met De Souza a few weeks before the attack.

He originally thought he was a nice guy as he had lent him money when they were out in Devizes with mutual friends.

On the day the assault happened he met De Souza outside Sainsburys and returned the £60.

He said: "We did have a bit of an argument because of something he said to me and there was a bit of pushing and shoving. I was a couple of feet away from him when he came at me. I thought at first he had punched me in the leg.

"It was only when I saw he was holding something shiny and then looked down and saw the blood that I realised I had been stabbed."