A former soldier who attacked a teenager with a spear modelled on the Alien vs Predator film has been jailed.

Calvin Bourke left Aaron Stubberfield with a gash on his head which required ten stitches, while his victim's spleen was also ruptured in the attack.

The 17-year-old victim was left "pulsing blood" and nearly died in the assault by Bourke and co-accused Stuart Scott.

At Stirling Sheriff Court on Wednesday, Bourke was jailed for five years, while Scott received a three-year sentence.

Sheriff William Gilchrist told the pair: "You were both convicted by the jury of an assault to severe injury, permanent disfigurement and danger of life involving the use of this extremely dangerous implement.

"It was an extraordinarily violent attack and a lengthy custodial sentence is inevitable."

An earlier trial had heard how Bourke stood over Mr Stubberfield and began slashing and stabbing him with the spear outside the First Down pub in Denny, Stirlingshire.

His victim was left with a deep cut on his scalp, a wound on his left cheek and a puncture wound in his side which ruptured his spleen.

The teenager spent five days in hospital, where doctors saved his life. He has been left permanently scarred after the attack on December 6, 2015.

Before the spear attack, Bourke had punched another teenager, Liam Cattigan, on the face outside the pub.

The court heard Bourke assaulted Mr Stubberfield with the spear after he confronted the former soldier about the attack on Mr Cattigan.

Mr Gilchrist added: "I take the view that the evidence clearly pointed to Calvin Bourke being the principal actor and Stuart Scott being the minor actor but nevertheless somebody who was art and part in this assault."

He said Bourke had previous convictions for assault, while Scott had none.

Mr Gilchrist said: "I also distinguish between you because it was Calvin Bourke who started all this. Without the initial assault on Liam Cattigan, none of this would have happened."

Bourke, of Tullibody, Clackmannanshire, and Scott, of Denny, had denied assaulting Mr Stubberfield with the spear to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement, and danger of life.

In evidence, 23-year-old Bourke blamed Scott for producing the weapon from a nearby flat.

Scott did not give evidence during the trial but lodged a special notice claiming anything he did do that night would have been in self-defence.

After being arrested, 23-year-old Scott told police the weapon was "like a Predator spear - a mad spear" from the 2004 film Alien vs Predator.

It was later found by police, still smeared with Mr Stubberfield's blood, stashed behind a fireplace in his flat.