Troy Foxworthy was sentenced to 12 years at Swansea Crown Court for slashing an Navy chef with a knife and leaving him with 'life-changing injuries'
Comments (2)
A HOMELESS man who was bragging about how much money he had made begging in Swansea has been jailed for attacking an on-leave Navy chef with a knife — leaving the sailor with life-changing injuries and effectively ending his career.
Troy Foxworthy lashed out at 22-year-old Tom Coulson with a blade and slashed the serviceman's left wrist, severing nerves, tendons and a main artery which led to him losing two pints of blood.
The attacker then ran off to the hostel on The Strand where he was staying and changed his clothes and disposed of the knife in an attempt to avoid detection. The weapon has never been recovered.
The victim had to undergo surgery under general anaesthetic after the attack, and has been left with damage to his hand which means he cannot work as a chef, serve onboard a ship, drive a car or play sports.
Foxworthy had maintained his innocence throughout his trial at Swansea Crown Court last month but was found guilty of wounding and possessing an offensive weapon. He denied he had been involved in the incident, claiming a case of mistaken identity.
However, minutes before he was due in the dock today to be sentenced, he said he now accepted his guilt and was remorseful — something a judge said he thought was "hollow sentiment" and Foxworthy feeling sorry for himself.
The court heard that on May 28 Mr Coulson — originally from Margam Village — was home on leave from the Navy, and went for a night out with friends in Swansea.
After a meal the former Porthcawl Comprehensive School pupil and his group went to a number of bars in Wind Street until, in the early hours of the morning, they found themselves outside the McDonald's restaurant in Castle Square.
Also in the area was heroin addict Foxworthy, who was bragging to somebody he knew about how much money he had made begging on the streets of Swansea.
The court heard that as 25-year-old Foxworthy walked pass Mr Coulson's group one of the victim's friends said she thought the distinctive ear muffs Foxworthy was wearing were "cool".
There then followed a brief confrontation before Foxworthy lashed out with his knife — Mr Coulson raised his arm to protect his head, and the blade sliced through his wrist.
Mr Couslon performed first aid on his wound — applying a tourniquet and raising his arm to limit the bleeding — while he waited for an ambulance.
The court heard the sailor suffered a significant injury which initially had been possibly life-threatening because of the amount of blood he had lost. The main ulnar nerve and artery in his wrist had been completely sliced through, and tendons badly damaged. Medics described it as a "very significant injury which will have lasting consequences".
A skilled chef who had sailed the world with the Navy — including being deployed to Sierra Leone where he had been part of Britain's contribution to fighting the Ebola outbreak — Mr Coulson is now effectively limited to desk duties onshore as a result of the damage to his hand.
Judge Peter Heywood told Foxworthy he had caused significant injuries to his victim that were life-changing, and would affect Mr Coulson "for the rest of his days".
He said he thought Foxworthy's last-minute expression of remorse was a "hollow sentiment".
Foxworthy was sentenced to 12 years for wounding and two years for possessing an offensive weapon, both sentences to run concurrently.
The sentence was welcomed by South Wales Police.
Speaking after the hearing, inspector Alex Chadd said: "This is another positive result for law enforcement and the communities we serve.
"The sentence sends out a clear message that we will not tolerate violence and we will bring offenders before the courts.
"South Wales Police is committed to targeting violence and anti-social behaviour across the force area and I would like to take this opportunity to reassure the public.
Read more at http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/homeless-man-slashed-sailor-with-life-causing-life-changing-injuries/story-29839817-detail/story.html#rqEcZlOMHfgk9GMU.99
No comments:
Post a Comment