Swansea Crown Court, where Troy Foxworthy was convicted
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A DRUG addict was convicted of slashing a Navy serviceman and cutting his artery outside in Swansea city centre.
Tom Coulson and his friends were showered with blood after a normal night out ended in a violent confrontation.
Swansea Crown Court heard that Troy Foxworthy had been begging in the city centre until the early hours of May 29 and had collected nearly £100, which he planned to spend on drugs.
As Foxworthy walked through Castle Square one of Mr Coulson's friends complimented him on his earmuffs, which resembled "floppy ears".
But the 25-year-old saw this as an insult and a row erupted.
"It got more confrontational, I could see it was getting unpleasant. I tried to diffuse the situation, I told him to leave, to stop it, to go," Mr Coulson said in a statement.
As the argument escalated, Mr Coulson threw a burger towards Foxworthy, who began to draw a blade from his pocket.
The court heard Foxworthy, of no fixed abode, threatened Navy serviceman Mr Coulson, saying "I'll cut you" and "I'll cut your face".
As he went on the attack, Mr Coulson raised his hand to protect his face and the knife gouged into his hand.
image: http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/images/localworld/ugc-images/276352/binaries/website%20size%20image%20(46).jpg
In witness statement, one of the friends said: "He said 'I've got a knife and I'll f***ing stab you'. I could see something in his right hand but I didn't think it'd actually be a knife."
She only realised what had happened when she saw them fleeing.
She added: "I looked down and saw blood all over my leg. The way it cut Tom it must've been really sharp."
They staggered into McDonald's "leaving blood all over the place" and called an ambulance.
Mr Coulson said: "I felt myself get cold and start to nod off, and I knew I was losing blood.
Foxworthy was identified by several people because of his oversized coat and distinctive earmuffs but he was not seen on CCTV until he returned to his hostel in the Strand.
It was here that he asked to borrow a friend's clothes. He called the clothes he was wearing 'props', which he put on to gather more money on the streets.
Foxworthy, however, said he had not been in the square on the date, and claimed his arrest was a case of mistaken identity.
He answered 'no comment' to police questioning.
A jury of nine men and three women found him unanimously guilty of wounding with intent and carrying a bladed article.
Judge Peter Heywood ordered a full report before sentencing on October 7, saying that the attack was so severe he "may well lose full use of his hand" and the case would likely end in a "significant custodial sentence".
He was remanded in custody
Read more at http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/addict-slashed-navy-serviceman-outside-a-swansea-mcdonald-s/story-29722882-detail/story.html#rT1ChwYJUzJpcvKX.99
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