ONLY a quick-thinking neighbour and the actions of paramedics saved the life of a man who was stabbed in Trowbridge in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Dan Brown was rushed to Southmead Hospital in Bristol after the incident outside his flat in Charlotte Square.

Speaking to the Wiltshire Times less than a week after the attack, the 27-year-old said he was convinced he was going to die.

“The knife missed my heart by two centimetres. If I was a little bit smaller I would be dead right now,” said Mr Brown, who works at the Cereal Partners factory in Staverton.

“I remember drifting in and out of consciousness after it happened; the light got gradually darker and sounds became really muffled. That's when I was convinced I was about to die.

“I don’t remember much after that. I just remember seeing a paramedic put his thumb up at me in the air ambulance every now and then to check I was okay.”

When the mechanical hygienist, who plays guitar in a heavy metal band called Severed Illusions, arrived at Southmead, a pipe was placed into his lung to drain away blood that was building up.

Paramedics gave him heavy doses of ketamine, Tramadol and morphine to ease the pain.

He woke up on Saturday afternoon with his dad, Daryl, at his bedside to learn that he had lost over a pint and a half of blood and was very fortunate to be alive.

“The pain is really bad and it feels like there’s someone sat on my chest hitting it with a hammer, so I’ve been struggling to sleep and breathing is tricky,” he added.

“But to be honest I’m so thankful to still be alive; this has definitely given me a new outlook on life.

“I want to personally thank everyone who played a part in saving my life, including my neighbour who pressed towels up against the wound to prevent me losing too much blood, and the brilliant air ambulance paramedics.

“Without them I wouldn’t be here right now.”

He said he had been at The Lounge in St Stephen’s Place enjoying a few drinks with a group of friends before the incident, and had planned to wake up at 5am to go to work the next day.

He is currently staying at a friend’s house in Devizes after being discharged from hospital on Monday, but said he will return to his flat in Trowbridge at the weekend without fear.

His band is planning a celebratory gig later this summer, with more details being announced soon.

Tyrone Winnington Triggs, 36, of 30 Grist Court in Bradford on Avon, appeared before magistrates in Swindon on Monday accused of malicious wounding and of possession of a knife in a public place when he was told the case would be referred to Swindon Crown Court for a hearing on July 14.

The magistrates said they would not be granting bail because of the seriousness of the offences and the fear that Triggs would interfere with witnesses.