Teenager sentenced following report of stabbing in Hinckley

A 17-year-old boy has been sentenced to a two-year detention and training order after a teenager was stabbed in Hinckley.

Police had been called to Druid Street just after 6.10pm on Monday 13 June to a report that a 17-year-old boy had been slashed on his arm.

In August, following a trial at Leicester Youth Court, a 17-year old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent in connection with the incident.

The defendant and victim were known to each other.

The defendant was also found guilty of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to a second victim who was at the scene, and possession of a bladed article, namely a machete.

On Friday (7 October), at Leicester Crown Court, he was sentenced to a two-year detention and a training order. He was also issued with an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim.

The first victim reported he had been in the area with the second male victim – his friend who was also aged 17. The defendant was reported to have approached the first victim acting in an aggressive manner. This then led to the defendant making threats to both victims with a machete, swinging it at them.

The first victim raised his arm up to protect himself leading to a slash wound being caused to his arm. The second victim tried to intervene leading to the defendant swinging the machete towards him. The second victim was not injured in the incident.

The second victim ran back towards his car and the defendant then ran away from the area down Well Lane towards Upper Bond Street.

The first victim was taken to hospital for treatment to his injury. He has since been discharged.

An investigation was launched by Leicestershire Police into the incident which included CCTV enquiries, taking statements from the victims and speaking with witnesses.

Officers then attended the defendant’s home address at 6.50pm on 13 June to arrest him in connection with the incident. He was charged the following day.

Detective Constable Joanna Price said: “The outcome of this incident could have been far more serious. The defendant had no consideration regarding just how dangerous his actions were.

“As a force we will not tolerate knife crime and will take action against offenders. We also continue to work with our partners to raise awareness of knife crime and prevent it from happening in our communities. Please continue to work with us as part of this by reporting any information you have to us in relation to knife crime so that we can take the action required.”

A dedicated team set up in force – the Violence and Complex Crime Unit – continues to focus on preventing and tackling violent crime. The team works closely with the Violence Reduction Network (VRN) and other partners and is supported by additional Government funding aimed at addressing violent crime.

This includes raising awareness of knife crime and providing advice and support to people concerned about knife crime.

If you're a young person concerned about knife crime you can visit Knife crime advice & support | LiveSafe

If you’re a parent or carer concerned about knife crime, visit Advice and support to help your child live safely | LiveSafe

For more information on the work of the VCCU, visit Police team set up to tackle violent crime marks two year anniversary | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)