Teenager sentenced following serious assault in Southampton

A teenager has been sentenced following a serious assault in Southampton.

The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (23 May) following the incident near Monks Way, Southampton, on 11 October last year.

The boy was found guilty by a jury of wounding with intent and had previously pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition without a certificate, possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing a controlled class B drug.

He was sentenced to six years in a young offender institution and the drugs, weapons and ammunition were ordered to be destroyed.

On Monday, 11 October, the teenager asked his victim, an 18-year-old man from Southampton, to give him a lift to Mansbridge in his car.

His victim initially refused and the teenager become confrontational. His victim then drove him to Monks Way.

The 16-year-old asked his victim to walk with him to the park nearby, and while they were down the alleyway the boy pulled a knife out of his bag.

The victim tried to run away but fell over. The boy managed to stab him twice in the abdomen and twice in the flank before fleeing the scene.

The 18-year-old managed to walk back to his car and knocked on the doors of nearby homes for help before one resident came out to assist.

He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries that required surgery. He has since made a full recovery.

Officers conducted extensive enquiries and three days later, the 16-year-old was arrested and charged.

His home was searched by officers and a quantity of cannabis was found and seized.

Two firearms and an imitation pistol were also found, stashed under floorboards in the boy’s room, and these were also taken.

DI Janine Bradley from Western Investigations was the senior investigating officer in the case. She said: “This unwarranted attack was terrifying for the victim and hopefully this sentence shows we do all in our power to bring perpetrators of serious violence to justice.

“Knife crime destroys lives and taking weapons off our streets is one of our top priorities in Southampton. From knife sweeps to engagement with partners, education and enforcement, we will use all the tools available to us to stop people using knives.

“Just last week, we carried out a week of action called Operation Sceptre, which allowed us to focus our resources on the issue and resulted in weapons being seized.

“I hope this young man learns from his crime and understands the impact it has had both on the victim and the community, and that the public know we are dedicated to making Southampton safer.”

To report information about knife crime in your neighbourhood, call us on 101 or report online at https://www.hampshire.police.uk/

Alternatively you can report 100% anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/

If you are a young person concerned about violent crime, you can tell us without having to say who you are, by reporting anonymously online at Fearless.org.