Teenager jailed for grievous bodily harm and possessing a bladed weapon

A teenager has been sentenced at Southampton Crown Court today (Thursday, 25 February) to four years in jail after pleading guilty to section 18 grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed weapon.

The 14-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to section 18 grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed weapon at a previous hearing.

He denied attempted murder and following a five day trial at Southampton Crown Court, the jury were unable to reach a verdict and a formal not guilty verdict was entered. 

This follows an incident that took place on Tuesday, 27 October 2020, where a 56-year-old man sustained two stab wounds during an altercation with two teenage boys in Barnfield Road, Southampton.

Prior to the incident, the man was indoors with his wife when a brick and a slab of concrete were thrown through windows of their property. The man went outside to see what was going on when an altercation took place, during which he received two deep stab wounds to his neck and stomach after the boy mistook him for someone else. The boy had gone out armed with a blade to seek revenge following a dispute over a social media post, however he targeted the wrong address and the boy ended up stabbing the man, to whom he had no connection with. 

A neighbour intervened and both boys ran off in the direction of Mayfield Park.

The man’s wife and a number of neighbours tended to him in the street until paramedics arrived and took him to Southampton General Hospital for emergency medical treatment.  

The 14 year-old boy admitted to section 18 grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed weapon at an earlier hearing.

Today, Thursday 25 February, he was jailed for four years.

The second teenage boy, also aged 14, pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon at a previous hearing. He appeared at Southampton Youth Court on Monday, 30 November 2020 for sentence and was given a 12 month referral order. 

Detective Sergeant Will Whale said “This case highlights the risks involved with carrying knives and the devastation it can cause, not only to those involved but also to their friends, families and the wider community. My thoughts are with them all today.

“That night two young teenagers went out carrying knives, to seek revenge against another boy over nothing more than a social media post. When the man came out of his house to find out who had damaged his windows, they quickly realised they had attacked the wrong address. Despite this, one of the boys stabbed the man twice before running off and leaving him in the street.

“The man had nothing to do with the dispute that led to this incident and had no connection to the defendants. He will carry the emotional and physical scars of this horrendous incident for the rest of his life.

“This senseless act of violence could have easily resulted in the death of a man. Fortunately, following emergency surgery, he survived the attack and is recovering well, however he will be left with permanent scarring.

“Today’s sentence sends out a clear message that this crime will never be tolerated and we will do everything in our power to take them and the offenders that carry them off the streets. No good ever comes from carrying knives.”  

Superintendent Kelly Whiting said “This is a tragic case for all concerned. Not only has a man been left with serious injuries but a child has lost his liberty at such an influential time of their life. My plea is to parents to take responsibility for their children; to know where they are and who they are with. Also to urge communities to keep reporting intelligence around knife crime so that together we can continue to tackle this rising threat in society.”

Chris Brown from Southampton’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) said “We are working jointly across the City with police, schools, charities and the Safe City Partnership to engage and divert our young people from carrying knives by helping them understand what the consequences of doing so are. Unfortunately, cases like this show the huge impact on an individual victim and their family, but also the wider neighbourhood and community. We all play a part in keeping our young people and communities safe.”

If you’re concerned about someone who is carrying a knife or worried someone is about to get hurt and want to tell someone but don’t want your name involved, you can report it 100% anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/