Knife thug jailed for slashing man’s face
ROUGH-SLEEPER THOUGHT VICTIM WAS DEALING SPICE TO GIRLFRIEND
A ROUGH-sleeper slashed another homeless man’s face with a knife after wrongly accusing him of dealing Spice to his girlfriend.
Andrew Jackson, considered a ‘danger to the public’ by a judge, left his victim scarred for life.
The 36-year-old has been jailed for seven years following the ‘premeditated’ and ‘utterly senseless’ attack on Market Street in Manchester city centre.
Jackson, who had alcohol issues and was using amphetamines, was in a ‘self-destructive spiral’ and was sleeping rough at the time, Manchester Crown Court heard.
He became suspicious when another homeless man started spending time with his now ex-girlfriend, the court was told.
Chloe Fordham, prosecuting, said the victim was merely ‘providing her with assistance’ after she started sleeping rough.
But Craig MacGregor, defending, said Jackson was told by his former partner that the man was supplying her with Spice, to which he took exception.
Ms Fordham said Jackson approached the man near BHS on Market Street on the night of September 6, 2016.
He walked away, but in a ‘clearly premeditated move,’ returned around 10 minutes later and punched the man in the face.
The victim soon realised his cheek had been slashed.
He was rushed to hospital by paramedics and needed stitches. The victim, the court was told, was left with an ‘obvious and prominent’ scar.
Ms Fordham said police investigated claims that Jackson’s victim had been dealing Spice, but said there was ‘no intelligence’ to suggest that was true.
Jackson, of no fixed address, initially denied the offence. When interviewed by police, he claimed he had never met the man.
He pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm on Tuesday – the day his trial was due to begin.
During a sentencing hearing on Thursday, Mr MacGregor said Jackson admitted punching the man – and that he had a knife in his hand at the time.
He said his client’s relationship with his ex-girlfriend was ‘toxic.’
The pair are banned from associating under the terms of a lifetime restraining order imposed following a previous case.
In July last year, Jackson was jailed for nine years for two counts of GBH. Those offences were committed after the attack on Market Street.
Judge Patrick Field QC sentenced Jackson to another seven years behind bars. That sentence will kick in once his current term ends. Jackson will serve an extended licence period of four years.
Judge Field told him: “This was an utterly senseless attack and it was clearly premeditated.
“You returned to the scene deliberately to attack [your victim].
“It has had a significant impact on your victim as he has a scar that is obvious and prominent, and no longer feels safe on the streets, which is of course where he lives.
“I don’t accept that you are remorseful and this has merely confirmed my opinion that you are a danger to the public.
“The fact you were willing to use a knife in public in this way only increases the risk in my view.”