Man stabbed in ‘moment of madness’ as two groups clashed

A LABOURER on a night out with friends in Nottingham was stabbed in the abdomen as two groups shouted at each other in the street.

The man was taken to the Queen’s Medical Centre and underwent four-and-a-half hours of keyhole surgery to a punctured colon. He developed an infection after surgery and spent more time in hospital being treated with antibiotics.

Nottingham Crown Court heard the man’s attacker was fatherof-two Colin Hartley, 22, of Bridlington Street, Hyson Green.

He was jailed for two years, of which he will serve half, after he pleaded guilty to wounding. A 12-month concurrent sentence was imposed for having a knife in Beastmarket Hill, Nottingham, on Sunday, August 9.

The stabbing happened just after 1am when Hartley was in the same area as the victim and his friends.

Hartley’s group approached the victim’s group and asked if one was from “Annesley” which seemed to cause offence.

Words were exchanged. One of Hartley’s group squared up to a member of the victim’s group. The victim punched this man because he was aggressive and shouting, the court heard.

Hartley produced a knife in “a quick motion and stabbed the complainant in the abdomen”, said Phil Gibbs, prosecuting.

An independent witness saw two groups shouting at each other and both groups were loud and aggressive.

Hartley ran from the scene and was arrested later at home where a Stanley knife was recovered.

Alwyn Jones, mitigating, said: “It was a serious and spontaneous moment of madness by Mr Hartley when he produced and used a knife in this incident”.

He said the incident itself “is clearly an unpleasant one but, in my submission, neither group involved came to this incident with clean hands”.

The true flavour of the incident came from the independent witness who described both groups involved in violence.

“The complainant threw a punch early in the incident,” said Mr Jones.

He said “mercifully, in the medical reports, the complainant should make a full recovery”.

He referred Judge Julie Warburton to the many character references about Hartley which “speak well of him and emphasise the positive side of his character”.