A jealous lover dressed up in a bunny costume in order to stab his ex’s new boyfriend in the neck.

Mark Pritchard, 46, arrived at the home of his former boyfriend Lee Corbin in Bristol, England wearing the theatrical animal outfit in October last year.

He held roses and love letters for his ex’s new boyfriend, Martin Williams, and said he had a ‘special delivery’ from Corbin who was away on holiday.

After reading out the love letters he had written himself, Pritchard persuaded Williams to blindfold himself and wait in bed for ‘some treasure’.

But Pritchard knocked him out with a handkerchief covered in chloroform and stabbed him several times with a knife.

In what was described in Bristol Crown Court as a ‘jealous rage’, prosecutor Giles Nelson said: ‘Following a struggle Mr Williams suffered two stab wounds to the hip and one to the neck.

‘Mr Pritchard then carried him downstairs into the living room, where Mr Williams begged him for help, telling him he would die otherwise."

The court heard Williams even sent a text to his boyfriend during the ordeal attempting to end the relationship, hoping it would placate his attacker.

As reported by the Bristol Post, Nelson added: ‘Pritchard fled the scene after giving Mr Williams towels to hold against his wounds.

‘Mr Pritchard was found by police the same day and a number of receipts were found in his car, for items including roses and costume hire.’

Sentencing Pritchard, Lord Justice Ford said: ‘This was done in jealous rage but it wasn’t spontaneous – it had been planned.

‘I take into account that you are a man of 46 years old with no prior convictions but this is a case that shows signs of premeditation.

‘It seems to me that the aggravating features of this case significantly outweigh the mitigating ones.’

The judge said, as Pritchard pleaded guilty, he would reduce the sentence from 13 years to eight years and eight months. He also issued a restraining order for Corbin and Williams.