Brynmawr knifeman slashed victim after partying with him
The defendant then slashed the 'dazed' victim twice to the forearm with the blade, causing 'serious gashes' on his left forearm.
He and Mr Smith had been drinking and taking drugs together with others hours before the attack.
The motive for the violence was 'unclear' but may have been because Foley was angry about him having something to do with his ex-girlfriend leaving him.
Emily Jermin, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court how Mr Smith was taken to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil for treatment.
In a victim impact statement, he said: 'I have flashbacks and keep seeing the defendant coming towards me with the knife.'
Foley pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article.
The assault took place on Thursday, November 21, 2024.
Miss Jermin revealed that the defendant has 28 previous convictions for 50 offences.
They include assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2013, two counts of battery in 2021 and three counts of assault of an emergency worker in 2022.
Judge Shomon Khan asked Foley's lawyer Ed Mitchard: 'Why did he go there with the knife? That's the question.'
Mr Mitchard replied that his client was carrying it after being the victim of 'a serious assault'.
He added: 'The defendant didn't mean to use the knife – the first attack was with fists.'
Foley had worked as a roofer and relapsed into taking drugs after his partner left with their children.
'This was an argument muddled by the misuse of drugs and alcohol,' Mr Mitchard added.
'He is capable of change.'
The court heard how the defendant has been working with Dyfodol, a drug and alcohol intervention service for Welsh prisons.
Judge Khan told Foley: 'You punched your victim in the face twice leaving him dazed before taking a knife from your jacket.
'The producing of the knife is of real concern and your motive is unclear.'
He added: 'I do accept there is genuine remorse and I hope this is a turning point in your life.'
The defendant was jailed for four years and four months.
Foley was told he will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence in custody before being released on licence.
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A few weeks after this incident, the property's Macclesfield-based owner wrote to an outdoor education academic at Bangor University asking for help rescinding access permissions previously granted to outdoor centres, schools and colleges. At the time, she raged at the 'littering and wild defecation, wild fires and verbal abuse' the area was experiencing in the staycation boom. She wrote: 'We are now inundated with visitors to the point where we cannot enjoy the land that we own. Whilst we wish to encourage humanity to enjoy the beautiful surroundings we are very worried about the destruction of natural habitat and general trespassing.' Matters were said to have escalated. There were reported incidents according to a neighbour with run-ins between the last owners and with people using that end of the lake. He also said it made little difference. With visitor numbers still rising, he suggested the new owners 'will be fighting a losing battle'. Working with the community The destruction of property, and the 'disgusting' and 'appalling' intimidation experienced by the family, has been widely condemned by locals and other lake users. Yet few have been surprised by the anger caused by the raising of Geirionydd's drawbridge. The area, in the parish of Llanrhychwyn, is rooted in antiquity. Near the lake is grade I-listed St Rhychwyn's Church, often claimed as the oldest in Wales. Locally it's known as Llewelyn's Church, a reference to Llywelyn Fawr, Prince of Gwynedd, who had a hunting lodge in the area. It's an enchanting place but, online, one woman suggested the family picked the wrong place for their rural idyll. 'You bought a house in one of the most popular beauty spots in the area. And now you are wondering why people are not happy that you are trying to restrict access to an area that local people have used as amenity land for generations. 'I agree that vandalism is not appropriate in any situation. However, you are really not going about this in a very diplomatic way, with signs effectively saying 'get off my land'. 'No wonder people are upset. You will not win this battle, I doubt, without a lot of stress and expense.' Simon, now a businessman, said the family never intended to upset local people and are distraught by the consequences. In time, they hope to immerse themselves in the community whilst finding ways of curtailing the area's over-tourism. The Private Property sign was not meant to be provocative, he said. Instead it was merely a way of 'drawing a line' to show the family was no longer prepared to accept the disruption and abuse they were experiencing. Despite everything, Simon and his wife don't regret for a moment the decision they made to move up from the West Midlands. 'We love it here,' he said. 'It's a beautiful area and we've met some lovely people. It's not nice to hear things like we should 'go back to Warwick'. But, overall, the good far, far exceeds the bad.' NRW said it manages Llyn Geirionydd's access for swimmers and paddlers from the southern end only. A spokesperson said: 'The northern end of the lake is privately owned and we've been speaking with the property owner who's put up signs on their own property as a result of people accessing the land and parking across their gate. 'Our signs at the southern end of the lake show the areas visitors can use, including the area for water skiing by permit only, which is managed by Llyn Geirionydd Water Skiing Club. 'We don't currently have plans to change our signage or install a floating lake boundary to mark the private property at the northern end of the lake.'
