A recruitment agency boss who was stabbed with a samurai sword by a disgruntled candidate has slammed a judge’s decision not to send his attacker to jail.

Ken Lawrence, from Travail Employment Agency in Fareham, suffered cuts and bruises when his candidate began a frenzied attack.

Lawrence said: “I said to my wife, jokingly, ‘I bet he’ll only get sentenced to 100 hours’ community service. But I couldn’t believe it when he actually just got 160 hours. For what he did he should have been jailed.”

Alain Aldridge, 33, was so fed up with waiting for a vacancy that he stormed into the firm in November last year waving a 2ft 6ins sword.

He confronted Ken Lawrence, shouting: “Where’s my f***ing job?”

He then jabbed the blunt weapon into Mr Lawrence’s chest, causing bruising, slashed his hand and cut up his palm tree plant.

Mr Lawrence said: “ When I first saw him I thought he was playing silly buggers. But then he started waving the sword around and it was terrifying.

“He jabbed it at me, into the wall and ruined my plant. I turned to one of my consultants to ask her to call the police but she was like a rabbit trapped in headlights. She was so frightened.”

Eventually his wife, Pauline, dialled 999 and Aldridge was arrested after he left the premises. He was found guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court of affray and assault. He was sentenced to do 160 hours’ community service and pay £200 in damages.

Lawrence added: “ He wanted a job in sales. We tried to find him work but with his CV we came up against a brick wall. I’ve never encountered anything like it. It was an extreme case of job-rage.”