A CONVICTED child rapist broke into a man’s house, assaulted him, and tried to stab him with a butter knife.

Glen Gardner, 55, was sentenced on Tuesday in Liverpool Crown Court for aggravated burglary and attempted greater bodily harm.

Gardner, of Folly Lane, is a prolific offender, having previously been found guilty of 64 different offences, including the rape and kidnap of a 13-year-old child in 1993.

As well as this, his convictions include an attack on his partner in 2018, where he punched her in the face 10 times.

Nardeen Nemat, prosecuting, told the court how Gardner had broken into a victim’s home in the town, using a hammer to break a window in the early hours.

Gardner had broken in with the intention to assault the victim, who he had been told had sexually assaulted a friend of his.

He then proceeded to assault the victim, punching and headbutting him. After this, Gardner tried to find a kitchen knife to attempt to threaten the victim with.

Unable to find one, he instead got hold of a butter knife, stabbing at the victim and cutting his thumb in the process.

Ms Nemat read a victim statement, saying that the assault had a substantial psychological effect on the victim.

They said that “my confidence is gone” and “it has changed my life for the worse”. They also said the victim had since lost their job due to ill health as a result of the physical and mental effects of the assault.

Carmel Wilde said how Gardner had “thought the victim had sexually assaulted a friend but accepts this is not true and their trust was misplaced”.

They also reiterated that Gardner struggled with alcohol dependency and had been drunk at the time of the assault.

Judge Recorder Peter Cowan said he had carried out “significant violence on the victim.”

They went on to say: “This offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence is justified.

“Unfortunately, the punishment of people who carry out crimes like this must take precedence over rehabilitation.”

Gardner was sentenced to 31 months in prison, and was also handed a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim or returning to the address of the victim indefinitely.