A man who stabbed his neighbour after complaining about her five-month-old baby crying has been jailed for two years.

Dominic Desouza, of Trafford Road, Thornton Heath, banged on the 29-year-old's front door and knifed her in the stomach when she opened it.

Police said it was "extraordinarily good luck" that the woman did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

Desouza, 48, never revealed his motive for the attack, but had complained about noise coming from the flat shared by the mum and her husband.

The couple were woken by Desouza banging on their door at about 8.30am on the February 16, the day of the attack.

He stabbed the victim when she opened the door to tell him to stop. 

The woman's husband pulled her back into the flat and called the police, who arrested Desouza.

The victim was taken to hospital but discharged later that day.

Desouza initially denied carrying out the attack but pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm at Camberwell Magistrates' Court on February 17.

He was jailed on Friday and given a restraining order banning him from contacting the victim or returning to her flat.

A judge also ordered Desouza to pay £120 victim surcharge.

Detective Constable Scott Barefoot, of the Metropolitan Police, said: "This was a vicious and unprovoked attack on a mother in her home with her five-month-old baby present in the room.

"It was only by extraordinarily good luck that she didn't sustain life-threatening injuries.

"Not only did he initially try to deny his involvement, but the only concern Desouza expressed to us throughout the process was whether his job was kept open.

"The custodial sentence will mean that a dangerous and violent offender will be behind bars and Croydon will be a safer place for this."