Stabbed and left to burn
TWO knifemen allegedly left a man with a “gaping hole” in his throat before barricading him in his bedroom and setting fire to his flat in an attempt to murder him, a court heard.
Prosecutors say Frank Cartner was left seriously injured after two men stabbed and slashed his neck after he let them into his home in Kenton, Newcastle.
It is claimed Anthony Slater and Anthony James then set three seats on fire in Mr Cartner’s flat and moved furniture in front of his bedroom door so he couldn’t get out.
The 38-year-old victim, who was unable to get through a narrow window in his room, shouted for help as thick smoke filled his flat in the early hours of the morning.
He was rescued by firefighters and, despite having a “full thickness” wound to his throat and a cut to his jugular, he survived after emergency surgery.
Now Slater and James have gone on trial at Newcastle Crown Court accused of offences including attempted murder, which they deny.
Prosecutor Mark Giuliani told jurors: “The Crown says you can be sure these two defendants, each armed with a knife, went to Mr Cartner’s home intending to kill him.
“They stabbed and slashed his throat and when they couldn’t achieve that with knives alone, they barricaded him into the bedroom and set fire to the flat.”
The court heard that on September 17 Mr Cartner had stolen a fuse box from a house on Hillsview Avenue, Kenton, where a woman lived with a one-year-old child who needs electricity to power a device he relies on due to a health problem.
A police officer investigating the theft at the scene approached James, as he matched the description of the man reported to have stolen the box.
The officer went with James to Slater’s flat nearby and told them what had happened. Slater told the policeman Mr Cartner had stolen the fuse box, the court heard.
When confronted by the police, Mr Cartner told them the fuse box was at his mother’s home nearby and it was retrieved.
In the early hours of the next day, September 18, the mum of the poorly one-year-old was disturbed by a knock on her window and saw two men which prosecutors claim was Slater and James.
One of them told her: “I’m the one who gave the officer the name of a man who took your fuse box.
“I can’t believe he would do that to a little boy who needed electricity for medical purposes”. The man then added: “We are going to slash his throat.”
Mr Cartner, 38, had only been living in his flat on Columbia Grange, Kenton, for five days and had no connected electricity supply.
The defendants had helped him to set up his new home, which had very little personal property in it.
Mr Giuliani said Slater had given Mr Cartner a phone. Mr Cartner had known the two accused for years. He knew Slater by the nickname Bobo and James by the nickname Titch.
Around 2am on September 18, Slater and James turned up at Mr Cartner’s flat and he let them in. They would often stay up drinking. The flat was lit by a single candle and light from a communal area. Mr Cartner said they were acting strangely, as if they had never been there before and were looking in different rooms. Mr Giuliani said he noticed Slater had a knife, adding: “Then, without warning, Slater stabbed at his neck. “Mr Cartner pleaded with him to stop, saying ‘stop, you are going to kill me.’ Slater carried on stabbing him in the neck.” The prosecutor said Slater then said to James, who had been searching the flat, “stab him” and Mr Cartner noticed James also had a knife. Mr Giuliani said: “He picked up a pillow trying to block the stabs. “Despite that, James managed to make contact with his chest at least once. “Of the two men, he formed the opinion it was Slater who was really intent on killing him and that James was somewhat reluctant. “Slater shouted ‘do it properly, get him done, get him done.’” The prosecutor told jurors: “By this stage he was seriously injured. He had a gaping wound to his neck and was bleeding profusely.” The attackers then left Mr Cartner in the
Effectively, they barricaded his door so he couldn’t get out. They then set fire to that flat Prosecutor Mark Giuliani
bedroom and he heard the sound of furniture moving in the passage.
Mr Giuliani said: “Effectively, they barricaded his door so he couldn’t get out. They then set fire to that flat.”
After about 10 minutes, Mr Cartner tried to get out of the bedroom but found it was blocked.
Mr Giuliani said: “He was struggling to breathe because of the smoke. The window was too small to climb out of so he shouted for help.”
Other residents in the block were woken by the fire and called the emergency services, and the building was evacuated.
Someone went to Mr Cartner’s mother’s home nearby and alerted her that her son’s flat was on fire.
Mr Giuliani said: “She rushed over. She heard her son shouting ‘help I can’t breathe.’ She told him to lie on the floor and asked what had happened. He said ‘That ******* Bobo has stabbed me in the neck and set my flat on fire.’”
The emergency services arrived around 2.20am and firefighters managed to squeeze Mr Cartner out of the narrow window.
Jurors heard it was a fire of a “considerable size” and had been started deliberately.
James, 37, of Colgrove Place, Kenton, and Slater, 41, of Ambridge Way, Kenton, deny attempted murder, wounding with intent, arson with intent, arson being reckless and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The trial continues.