A teenager who attacked a 17-year-old boy with a machete in broad daylight in Nottingham city centre has been locked up.
The 16-year-old boy, who can’t be named for legal reasons, stabbed the victim three times, in the body and leg, leaving him with life-threatening injuries, during the attack which happened at around 12.45 pm on Friday 30 September 2022.
Nottingham Crown Court heard the attacker and victim both produced machetes from their trousers simultaneously after a chance encounter at the junction of Lower Parliament Street and Pennyfoot Street.
The victim ran off but the 16-year-old chased after him. After the victim tripped and fell to the floor, the teenager stabbed him while he was lying on the ground.
He managed to stumble away to a shop doorway before collapsing due to his significant injuries which included a wound to his thigh and a punctured lung. He was still in hospital eight days later, on 7 October.
Members of the public, including some who got out of their cars, called the emergency services and helped provide medical assistance until police and paramedics arrived soon after.
They included a junior doctor who was so concerned about his rapidly deteriorating condition, she sought out a defibrillator.
The court heard that following the attack the 16-year-old walked away, still holding the machete in his hand. He then changed his clothing and got a taxi out of the area.
Days later, on 4 October, members of Nottinghamshire Police’s City Knife Crime Team stopped a car in the St Ann’s area and detained three people, including the 16-year-old.
Some bladed weapons were found inside the vehicle, including a machete which was ‘strikingly similar’ to the one brandished by the teenager during the 30 September incident – the court heard.
Following extensive inquiries, the teenager was subsequently charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a knife in a public place.
He pleaded guilty to the charges and was locked up for seven years when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court today (Friday 24 February 2023).
In mitigation, the defence for the teenager said he’d ‘showed appropriate remorse’ and ‘demonstrated rapid signs of maturity’ since the attack.
Detective Inspector Jon Kerry, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Thankfully, incidents of this severity are extremely rare but it’s understandable that violence of this nature does create concern within local communities.
“I’d like to reassure people that the force treats such incidents extremely seriously, we do take action and we will always do everything we can to keep people safe and bring violent offenders before the courts.
“As in any case of serious weapon-enabled violence, officers were quick to respond to this incident and acted swiftly to investigate.
“This shocking, brutal attack happened in broad daylight in the middle of the street and was witnessed by members of the public travelling through the area.
“It was due to sheer luck only that this incident didn’t end in a life being lost and I’d like to thank those members of the public who stopped, provided first aid, and called the emergency services after witnessing such horrific scenes.
“We are absolutely committed as a force to preventing and reducing incidents of knife crime in our communities and to taking robust action against anyone who gets involved in this kind of dangerous behaviour and intends to use bladed weapons to inflict harm on others.”
Nottinghamshire Police takes a zero-tolerance approach towards knife crime and continues to work closely with partners, including Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s Violence Reduction Partnership, to tackle the issue through a mixture of prevention, intervention, education, enforcement, and engagement work.
In support of its ongoing proactive work the force is urging anyone with information on knife crime in their local community to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always dial 999.
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