A dangerous offender has been handed a jail term for a stabbing on a Cleator Moor road.
Lee Walker, 33, was initially charged with attempted murder after an incident at William Morris Avenue on the evening of January 27 but later admitted a lesser, alternative offence.
Carlisle Crown Court heard today that Walker was agitated, intoxicated and initially shouted gibberish from the doorstep of his girlfriend’s home as Alex Fitzgerald and John Redmond — neither of whom knew him — returned to a neighbouring address.
The bewildered men opted to ignored Walker, who suddenly appeared close behind them and swung a punch at neighbour Mr Fitzgerald.
As he threw a punch in response, Walker fell to the floor before returning to his home.
The two men went into the neighbouring property but came back outside amid reports that Walker was damaging a vehicle in the street.
As they did so, Walker emerged from an alleyway in which he had been hiding, and plunged a knife into the right side of Mr Redmond’s body.
He fell and heard a blade being dropped before lifting his shirt to see blood and yelling: “I’ve been stabbed.”
Walker then assaulted and injured Mr Fitzgerald during a scuffle which followed as he tried to protect his injured friend from further harm.
Mr Redmond was detained in hospital for two days and suffered internal bleeding.
“A doctor told him if the blade had been half an inch longer it would have inflicted a fatal wound,” said prosecutor Tim Evans. It had pierced a muscle but not reached a main artery of the heart.
But in an impact statement, Mr Redmond described a lack of sleep, waking up screaming, replaying the incident and of a massive social effect, being scared to leave his home.
He suffered scarring which was a permanent reminder of the attack, and had wondered: “Why me?” “I don’t feel like I am the same person,” he had also said.
Mr Fitzgerald also described a heavy toll on him and of feeling that he had no other option now but to move out of the address.
Heavily-convicted Walker admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He further admitted actual bodily harm assault, illegally possessing two knives illegally in the street after the stabbing, and assaulting a police detention officer after being taken into custody.
Walker was described as remorseful. He had no recollection of the incident and was said to have a history of chronic alcohol abuse. He was given a prison sentence of seven years and eight months for what Judge Nicholas Barker called a highly dangerous act.
“I am satisfied that you had gone to that place to hide, to wait for them; you knew you had the knife on you and it was your clear intention to stab,” concluded Judge Barker.
He said of the two victims: “They had done absolutely nothing to you to justify your behaviour towards them.”
Judge Barker also deemed Walker was a dangerous offender, and imposed an extended licence period of three years.
Walker, of Seven Acres, Parton, must serve two-thirds of the sentence in custody before being eligible for release, and was banned from contacting the two men in any way, indefinitely.
