Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Man admits stabbing boy, 17
A young man has pleaded guilty to knifing a teenager in a daytime city centre attack. Several police and an air ambulance descended on Palace Street in Canterbury last month after a 17-year-old boy was stabbed in the popular shopping thoroughfare.
On the same day as the attack, which left the victim with serious injuries, Joshua Bruton was arrested by officers near Old Park Avenue.
During a hearing at Canterbury Crown Court on Monday, the 21-year-old pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article. John Barker, defending, said: “My client has a psychiatric history and there’s reason to believe there’s a background of mental disorder. We have arranged for my client to have a psychiatric assessment and to see if any further treatment would be appropriate.” Mr Barker also told the hearing Bruton was convicted for possessing a blade in 2016 and had been cautioned for affray. Judge Simon James also noted that there were “unusual circumstances” surrounding the incident on Sunday, June 21. Addressing Bruton, he added: “You have had the good sense to make an early admission.” Bruton’s victim was flown to a London hospital following the assault, but his injuries were not deemed life threatening. After the stabbing, police cordoned off a section of Palace Street outside Siesta Crafts and Cafe Chambers.
Julie Nuttall, owner of The Cheese Shop, sprung into action when she saw three people running past her store.
She told the Gazette at the time:
“I saw a lot of alarmed-looking people, so I went outside and I saw he was on the floor of The Running Outlet next door. “He was just a young boy and had been stabbed in the back, so I held the wound together and talked to him. It was just instinctive.”
Bruton is due to be sentenced on October 5.
A second man arrested in connection with the attack has been released without charge.