Stuart Bradleigh Johnson (39) was sentenced yesterday for violently attacking his friend of ten years after an alcohol-fuelled argument, leaving him with three deep cuts to his arms and chest.
- At around 2pm both the victim and the defendant begin drinking together at Mr Knights house. Johnson brought eight cans of Carlsberg lager with him.
- At around 6 pm, after buying more alcohol at the shop, the pair moved indoors.
- Mr Knight told police that at around 9 pm the defendant had told him he was getting bladdered and was talking about women but getting louder and louder
The victim added: ‘Stuart continued being loud and I said to him if you are not going to behave go home. He just got louder and more stroppy during the course of the evening
‘I tried to calm Stuart down but he refused. I told Stuart to go home. I was sat on the swivel chair in front of the computer and Stuart sat on the bed. I stood up and told Stuart he needed to leave. Stuart stood up too and came right into my face saying “I’m not standing for this”‘.’
- The victim then picked up his mobile phone telling him he would call the police if he did not leave. The defendant responded: No youre f*****g not. Ill cut you before revealing a three-inch Swiss Army Knife.
- Mr Knight told police he could not believe it was getting out of hand and fled to the bathroom to escape Johnson. But the defendant forced his way in.
‘Stuart came at me and slashed my right arm,’ he told police. ‘It was a bit of a blur… I saw blood spurting everywhere… I hadn’t really felt it… he had gone berserk. He was slashing the knife and cutting me up.’
- At around 10.30 pm neighbours heard the commotion and arrived at the property to help restrain the defendant before police arrived. Officers said both men were bare-chested and there was evidence of heavy bleeding.
- The defendant was searched and a Swiss Army knife was recovered. Johnson was asked to stand up but struggled to do so as he was so drunk. He was then arrested.
The victim, Gerald Knight (60), who has been scared for life, told police that he could have died during the incident if he had not stopped the defendant from ‘stabbing and slashing me’.
The Superior Number of the Royal Court yesterday heard how the two men, who are both originally from the UK, had been drinking heavily at the victim’s home throughout the day. An argument broke out after the victim told Johnson to keep the noise down and threatened to call the police after he refused. The defendant then brandished a knife with a three-inch blade and told Mr Knight: ‘I’m going to cut you’.
The victim fled to the bathroom and screamed for help before Johnson forced the door open and slashed his right arm. ‘I saw blood spurting everywhere,’ Mr Knight told the police.
The victim, along with neighbours who had heard the commotion, managed to bundle Johnson to the floor and restrain him before the police arrived.
In a statement read in court by Crown Advocate Emma Hollywood, the victim said: ‘He had gone berserk. He was slashing the knife about and cutting me up. I think when I tried to grab him he slashed me again on my left shoulder. At some point he tried to stab me in my chest. I think if I had not managed to stop Stuart he would have kept stabbing and slashing me.
‘He could have killed me if he had caught me on the neck. It has been a total shock to me. We have been friends for a long time.’
Despite requiring 27 stitches to repair the two wounds on his arms, Mr Knight described the defendant as’ an extremely pleasant man’ who had never previously been aggressive towards him.
Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of grave and criminal assault. Advocate James Bell, defending, said his client had no previous convictions and was extremely remorseful for the attack. ‘The psychological report shows that Mr Johnson was shocked by his own actions and the psychologist agreed that his remorse is genuine,’ the advocate said.
- A 14 cm wound to the upper left harm. Required 14 stitches
- A 12 cm wound to the right arm. Required 12 stitches. Officers at the scene described the injury as so deep they could see muscle and bone.
- A 24 cm L shaped wound to the chest. Required multiple steristrips.
‘Mr Johnson acknowledges that his consumption of alcohol has contributed to this and it is an aspect of his life that he needs to address.
‘He is fortunate enough to still have the support of his family members. He has an excellent employment record.’
Delivering the court’s sentence, the Bailiff, William Bailhache, said that because Johnson had used a knife, there was no other option but to impose a custodial sentence, although he accepted the defendant’s sincere remorse.
‘Fortunately the wounds were not too serious and he has made a full recovery although he will be scarred for life.’
Jurats Geoffrey Fisher, Robert Kerley, Suzanne Marett-Crosby, Sylvia Milner and Charles Blampied were sitting on the case.
