A man who beat a friend with a child’s scooter before thrusting a knife at his face and neck has been jailed for five years.
Lance Thomas, 21, now of Edgbaston Road in Rhyl, had pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Prosecuting barrister Kate Meredith-Jones told Mold Crown Court that Thomas, 21, had been out drinking with his friend Chad Clemson, 24, in the Rhuddlan area.
They returned to Thomas’ then home in Mwrog Street, Ruthin, in the early hours of April 30, but there was an argument between the two men because Mr Clemson wanted to go out drinking again.
There was some goading that Thomas could not hold his drink and at one stage it was alleged that Mr Clemson gave Thomas’ partner a hug as she lay in bed.
There was a fight and the two men grappled with each other and rolled on the floor.
They went downstairs where it was alleged Thomas picked up a child’s scooter, swung it, and hit Mr Clemson on the head and body around seven times.
Thomas then took a knife from a block in the kitchen and thrust it four times towards Mr Clemson’s head, neck and back.
'...you could have killed him'
He was left on the floor covered in blood.
Thomas called a taxi and he, his partner and two children travelled to Prestatyn, but the defendant told the driver what he had done and a police car was flagged down.
Mr Clemson was taken to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd at Bodelwyddan with wounds to the head, neck and arms and multiple bruising to the face, neck and back. Thomas was on licence at the time and had been recalled, Miss Meredith-Jones explained.
Judge Walters said: “You caused him several wounds. Those who take knives into their possession during an altercation and then proceed to use them, particularly when they target the neck and face, are committing very serious offences indeed.”
Mercifully the injuries were not as bad as they could have been but the defendant had no control over that. He had admitted intending to badly injure him.
“It is pure good fortune that you failed to achieve what you set out to do,” he said. “Let’s face it, you could have killed him.”
Defending barrister Simon Killeen said that there were aggravating features to the case and the defendant knew he had to receive a significant prison sentence.
But he had pleaded guilty at an early stage, he suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder for which he continued to be medicated, he was still a young man, and the court could not ignore an element or provocation.
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