THE "habitual knife carrier" found guilty of murdering Harry Potter actor Rob Knox came close to killing someone in Bromley at the age of 17, it has emerged.

Karl Bishop, now 22, was given a life sentence at the Old Bailey on March 5 for the fatal attack on 18-year-old Mr Knox outside the Metro Bar, Sidcup, on May 24 last year.

During the murder case he was described as a "habitual knife carrier". Bishop told the court he carried a knife "for protection".

Bishop previously showed his violent streak years earlier on December 4, 2004, when he lashed out at Iain Sutherland and James O'Doherty in East Street, Bromley.

Mr Sutherland was stabbed in the neck and needed five stitches.

According to Bromley police’s crime report on the incident "the doctor said it was lucky it wasn’t one inch the other way or it could have been fatal”.

The two victims said they had intervened after seeing a woman being harassed by Bishop and two friends.

Bishop pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and committing an assault causing actual bodily harm when he appeared at Croydon Crown Court in May 2005 in connection with the incident.

He was sentenced to four years but was released in March 2007 and moved to New Eltham, where he worked for an air conditioning firm.