Connor Page left a man with a dozen knife wounds and part of the blade still lodged in his skull during a savage attack.
The knifeman made a concerted effort to try and kill his victim and may have succeeded had others not managed to drag him away, police said.
While this intervention may have ultimately helped save the other man’s life, it didn’t come in time to stop Page from inflicting serious injuries to him.
After producing a knife, the 28-year-old used the weapon to stab his victim 12 separate times – including to the head – in a sustained and frenzied manner.
The attack was so violent that part of the blade snapped off, with the other man later requiring an operation to remove a piece that had become lodged in his skull.
Both men had earlier been on separate nights out in Nottingham city centre when they became embroiled in a confrontation – with a fight then spilling over into the middle of Wilford Street.
It was at that point in the early hours of 23 June last year that Page made the decision to use a knife, before taking it with him as he fled from the scene.
Page then tried to hide what he’d done by disposing of the weapon in a nearby car park.
He failed on that front though, with that act presenting detectives with the evidence they needed to build a strong case against him.
Once the knife had been retrieved by officers, forensic testing led to Page’s blood being found on the blade’s handle, while analysis of available CCTV also earmarked him as being the chief culprit.
Based on this evidence, he pleaded guilty to wounding with intent when he appeared before the courts last October, although he denied an attempted murder charge.
In the trial that followed however, the strength of the case built by detectives swayed the jury to see through Page’s lies, with the knifeman found guilty of attempted murder on 13 January at Nottingham Crown Court.
Page, of Metcalfe Close, Derby, returned to the same court to be sentenced on Friday (11 April), where he was given an extended 25 year sentence.
Page will have to serve at least two thirds of a 21 year jail term before he is eligible for parole. He will then spend four years on extended license.
Detective Constable Ruth Towle, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“The appalling violence showcased by Connor Page that morning has no place anywhere near our streets, so we’re pleased to see he’ll now spend a considerable amount of time away from them.
“In the midst of a confrontation in the street, he made the cowardly decision to come at his victim with a knife and use it to stab him no less than 12 separate times, including to his head.
“By using the weapon in the frenzied manner he did and for the sustained amount of time he did, our belief was that he was trying to take the other man’s life.
“As an example of this, he put so much power into his assault that part of the blade snapped off and actually became lodged in his victim’s skull.
“Our case sought to prove that intent, with the investigative team committing a lot of work to gather the evidence needed to secure an attempted murder conviction and give the victim the justice they deserve.
“While he may have been sentenced to a lengthy spell in prison today, Page should count himself extremely lucky that he hasn’t had to face the consequences of committing a murder.”
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