A 19-year-old who burned his clothing after a town centre stabbing which left his victim permanently scarred has been spared immediate custody
Carlisle Crown Court heard Dylan Kempster invited three young men into an alleyway off Highgate, Kendal, for a fight at around 10.45pm on Saturday, April 16.
As Kempster, then aged 18, ended up on the ground, he used a pen knife to slash and stab a 19-year-old. The victim suffered a puncture wound to his left thigh and the knife also went through around a third of his bicep, severing a sensory nerve.
The victim underwent a four-hour operation and had to wear a cast for a month. Although the injuries had healed with weeks, the court was told two nasty scars remained.
In a statement, he described the ongoing impact of the attack, particularly on his girlfriend and family; of being on edge and his social activities being curtailed.
Of Kempster in the aftermath of the attack, prosecutor Brendan Burke said: “He fled the scene, burned his clothing but handed himself in the next day.”
Kempster, of Gillinggate, Kendal, admitted unlawful wounding and offensive weapon possession.
Jacob Dyer, mitigating, spoke of previous online issues between Kempster and one of the two other young men.
At the time Kempster accepted he was using cannabis and had been a little paranoid about those earlier internet exchanges. Mr Dyer said it had been a chance meeting with no premeditation, adding: “He made a bad decision. He was on the ground, he produces a knife and obviously lashes out with that and causes the injuries.”
Passing sentence, Recorder Peter Horgan stated: “The use of knives to cause any form of assault or injury is one that the court will not tolerate.”
But Recorder Horgan concluded there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and that he could just suspend 21 months’ imprisonment for two years. This was in view of his age, efforts made since the offence, mental health difficulties and the fact he appeared to have settled and was pursuing a college IT course.
Kempster must complete 200 hours’ unpaid work, a three-month night time curfew and was banned from contacting her other three young man for five years.
