A man who took part in a violent revenge attack has been sentenced after his mobile phone was linked to the offence.
Tyrone Dowdye was one of three men who burst into a house in Chilwell on the afternoon of Wednesday 26 January 2022.
Once inside, the male occupant was attacked with a machete in front of his wife and young child, leaving him with two broken arms and multiple slash wounds to his hands, arms and chest.
Police said that it is believed the attack was carried out in revenge for a violent prison assault in Manchester involving a relative of the victim.
Detectives were able to trace a vehicle involved in the attack back to the Skelmersdale area of Lancashire.
When the car was recovered around three weeks after the attack, two machetes were found in the rear seat pockets.
The weapons had not been used in the earlier attack, but some very significant evidence was recovered from the vehicle’s entertainment system: a Bluetooth phone connection listed as “Tyrone’s A12”.
Detectives were then able to link the phone to Dowdye and prove that it had travelled to and from the offence location on the day of the attack.
The same handset was subsequently seized from an address in St Helens linked to the suspect.
Dowdye later claimed he had been having dinner at a local restaurant at the time of the attack, but inquiries by officers disproved his account.
After multiple delays, Dowdye finally stood trial earlier this year and was found guilty of wounding with intent.
He failed to appear at his sentencing hearing on Friday 28 August but was sentenced in his absence to five years and six months in prison, which was a reduced term on the grounds of ill health.
Dowdye, of Vernham Road, Plumstead, is now wanted, and anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the police.
Detective Constable Lisa Porter, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“This was a shocking and premeditated attack carried out on a wholly innocent man in front of his family.
“The victim sustained very serious injuries and is understandably traumatised by what happened to him in his own home.
“Dowdye travelled a long way to commit this offence and in doing so he left a trail of clues that ultimately led to his conviction.”
