A knifeman who stabbed a close friend in a pub beer garden has been jailed.
Graham Butterworth, aged 49, attacked his victim at The Manvers Arms, in Main Road, Radcliffe-on-Trent, in the early evening of 31 May 2026.
The unprovoked assault left the man with one stab wound to the stomach that required two surgeries.
He was placed in an induced coma and spent almost four weeks in hospital, and he risked a leg amputation due to a damaged artery.
In an impact statement read to the court, the victim detailed the enormous effect the attack has had on his life and how it has left him anxious about being around people in public out of fear of being harmed.
Nottingham Crown Court heard Butterworth believed he was owed money when he confronted the victim in the beer garden before stabbing him and fleeing the scene.
Nottinghamshire Police were called at 5.31pm, and firearms officers later arrested Butterworth at a nearby address in Orchard Avenue.
He told officers they would find the five-inch kitchen knife hidden in a garden shed.
Butterworth, of Queens Road, Radcliffe-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of a knife in a public place on 6 July.
He was handed an extended jail sentence of 15 years, with 12 years in custody and a further three on licence, when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday (29 September).
Detective Constable Andrew Sansom, of Nottinghamshire Police, led the investigation.
He said:
“This was an awful and completely unprovoked attack on what should otherwise have been a pleasant evening socialising at the pub.
“Carried out in front of other pub-goers, including children, it left those who witnessed this stabbing understandably frightened and resulted in a man suffering serious injuries.
“I can only hope that this outcome provides some degree of relief for the victim, who has shown immense bravery throughout this investigation despite the lasting impact this has had on him.
“Violence of this severity has no place in Nottinghamshire and will always be met with a robust response.”
