Teen carried out brutal stabbing in front of girls
A “DANGEROUS” teenager stabbed his victim three times in front of three young schoolgirls playing in a park nearby, a court heard.
The three girls, aged 12, had been playing in Eureka Park in Swadlincote during daylight hours when they saw Sean Doncaster, then 17, brandishing a knife and chasing victim Matthew Bagley.
Mr Bagley fell to the floor exhausted before being stabbed three times – to the arm, back and buttock.
Doncaster’s co-defendant Tate O’Neill, then 18, moved to block Mr Bagley on his bicycle, before the victim slipped and dropped to the floor.
Both teenagers then ran off, leaving a frightened witness to dial 999 while the horrified girls looked on, Derby Crown Court heard yesterday.
The mother of one of the girls said her daughter suffers flashbacks and nightmares and has sought out medication, but is too young to take it.
Doncaster later admitted wounding with intent and possession of the knife, while O’Neill admitted affray.
Prosecutor Abigail Joyce told the court: “On June 14 (last year), three men were in a skate park and were approached by two men ask- ing if they knew Matthew Bagley, telling them he was a ‘dead man.’
“As a result of that, on June 15 at around 8pm, Mr Bagley and a friend were walking their dogs when they saw two people riding bikes towards them.
“Mr Bagley recognised Sean Doncaster, even though his face was partially covered with a mask. Tate O’Neill was not covered and he was also recognised. Sean Doncaster started to chase Mr Bagley around the park with a purple kitchen knife. He started to run away.
“Tate O’Neill was on a bike and Sean Doncaster shouted at him to get Mr Bagley. He rode his bike into his path. He tried to kick Tate O’Neill off his bike and slipped. Sean Doncaster then stabbed him on a number of occasions.”
A witness came to his aid and administered first aid, while the two suspects ran off, discarding the knife as they went. One of the 12-year-old girls at the park later told police she heard shouting and swearing and saw Mr Bagley running away from two men. They saw Doncaster pull out a knife and get on top of him.
Midlands Air Ambulance later airlifted Mr Bagley to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, where he believed he was going to die, thinking “this is it”, the court was told.
Police later arrested Doncaster and O’Neill at the former’s home. Blood was found on O’Neill’s handlebars and there were clothes in the washing machine. During his police interview, Doncaster gave no comment, while O’Neill claimed it was Mr Bagley who had pulled a knife.
The court heard Mr Bagley now suffers from mental health issues and has moved away. The prosecutor said just two days prior to the attack, teenager Benjamin Orton had been stabbed and died, with his friend also stabbed five times, in Swadlincote.
However, she said: “Against that background, Sean Doncaster knew about that when he used the knife, I cannot say it was a revenge attack because it wasn’t specifically linked.”
The court also heard Doncaster was on licence during the incident, having served a period of detention for another stabbing in 2020.
Sarah Badrawy, defending Doncaster, who appeared via video link from Nottingham Prison, told the court his level of maturity was “extremely limited”. She said he suffered from executive dysfunction disorder, which describes a range of cognitive, behavioural, and emotional difficulties.
For O’Neill, Daniel Lister said: “He was 18 at the time and was an adult but a defendant doesn’t fall off a cliff edge when he turns 18. He was immature.”
Ordering him to serve four-and-ahalf years’ detention, Judge Shaun Smith told Doncaster: “You chased Mr Bagley with a knife. You hunted down your victim until he ran out of energy and fell to the floor.”
O’Neill was ordered to serve 15 months’ detention.