Teenager jailed for knife offence and assault in Gosport

A Gosport teenager has been jailed after admitting a knife offence and serious assault.

The 16-year-old boy, who can’t be identified for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to possession of a knife, causing grievous bodily harm without intent, and affray when he appeared at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on Friday 11 November.

This follows an incident in Frater Lane in Gosport on 5 September this year.

Police were called at around 11.20pm following the incident, in which the teenager was threatening the occupants of an address whilst armed with a knife.

A man was able to restrain the 16-year-old and get the knife off of him, but suffered injuries to his arm and leg in the process.

The teen was subsequently arrested by attending officers.

Appearing at the same court today, he was sentenced to a six month Detention and Training order. This requires the defendant to serve half of their sentence in custody, and the remainder will be served in the community under the supervision of the Youth Offending Team.

T/DC Paul Osborne said: “Knife crime is something we will always take incredibly seriously. Too often knives can lead to serious injury or death, and there is absolutely no excuse for carrying one let alone wielding one as a weapon.

“I hope that this sends a strong message to those that carry a knife that there are real consequences of doing so, and you can and will go to prison.

“We do so much work to steer young people on the right path and protect them from becoming involved in knife crime, but they are still not immune to prosecution and a jail sentence in serious situations such as these.”

If you are a young person who is feeling under pressure to carry a knife, we urge you to seek help. Speak to an adult, such as a teacher, or visit https://www.fearless.org/ for more advice and support.