Slashed man’s throat and set his flat on fire
SAVAGES who stabbed and slashed a man’s throat before barricading him in his bedroom and torching his flat have been found guilty of trying to murder him.
Victim Frank Cartner was left with a “large, gaping wound” in his neck after letting two men he called friends into his home in Kenton, Newcastle.
The then 38-year-old victim, who was unable to escape through the small window in his room, desperately shouted for help as thick smoke filled his flat in the early hours of the morning.
He was “extremely fortunate to survive” the attack in September 2017.
Now Anthony Slater and Anthony James have been convicted of attempted murder, arson with intent to endanger life and perverting the course of justice.
Prosecutor Anthony Dunne told jurors at the beginning of the trial at Newcastle Crown Court the defendants had been friends with Mr Cartner, who knew Slater by the nickname Bobo and James by the nickname Titch.
The prosecutor said: “On that night they turned violently against him and essentially left him for dead. You may be wondering why.
“Well there is no doubt Frank Cartner was no angel.”
The court heard on the evening before the attack, Mr Cartner had stolen a fuse box from a home near Slater - putting a piece of medical equipment for a seriously ill oneyear-old child at risk.
Mr Dunne said Slater also appeared to have blamed Mr Cartner for the loss of a mobile phone belonging to his late father.
The court heard shortly before the incident Mr Cartner had moved into a flat in Columbia Grange, which did not have a connected electricity supply.
The defendants had helped him to set up his new home in the days leading up to the attack.
Mr Dunne said Slater had given Mr Cartner two mobile phones but neither was working, although Slater said he would get them fixed.
Several days later, Mr Cartner was at Slater’s flat and asked where one of the phones was, had a look round and found what he thought was the same phone.
He took it and said James and Slater were there and did not object.
On September 17, Mr Cartner had gone to visit Slater’s flat and on his way back saw a communal door to a block of flats was open and took the opportunity to steal a fuse box.
The box belonged to a woman who relied on it to power a feeding machine for her seriously ill son.
A police officer investigating the theft at the scene approached James, who was going to Slater’s flat at the time, as he matched the description of the man reported to have stolen the fuse box.
The officer went with James to Slater’s flat nearby and told them what had happened. Slater told the policeman Mr Cartner had moved into a new flat that week and was trying to obtain a fuse box.
When confronted by the police, Mr Cartner told them the fuse box was at his mother’s home nearby and it was retrieved.
Mr Dunne said the two defendants came to Mr Cartner’s flat at around 2am on September 18, which “was not unusual as they would often stay up drinking”.
He let them in but said Slater was acting strangely, as if he had never been to the flat before, and was asking what was in each room.
They went into Mr Cartner’s bed-