42 years for savage stepbrothers
STEPBROTHERS SLASHED MAN’S THROAT AND SET FLAT ON FIRE
SAVAGE stepbrothers who tried to murder a man by slashing his throat, barricading him in his bedroom and torching his flat have been jailed for a total of 42 years.
Victim Frank Cartner considered Anthony Slater and Anthony James to be his friends, so when they turned up at his home he had no hesitation in letting them in and no idea they had murder in mind.
Slater left him with a gaping wound to his neck which was bleeding heavily and then, along with James, blocked his escape and set three seats on fire in his flat in Kenton, Newcastle.
Slater and James were last week convicted of attempted murder, arson with intent to endanger life and perverting the course of justice.
A judge branded the pair dangerous and said there was no real reason for the attack, with any motive which has been suggested being “flimsy”.
Now Slater, 43, of Ambridge Way, Kenton, has been locked up for 23 years while James, 38, of Colgrove Place, Kenton, was jailed for 19 years, at Newcastle Crown Court.
Sentencing them, Judge Penny Moreland said: “The jury found you both formed the intention of killing him. Frank Cartner said while you attacked him you were saying this was to do with him stealing a phone or phones from you, other evidence suggests you had said earlier you would slash his throat for stealing a fuse and endangering a sick child.
“Neither of these really provides any proper explanation at all for the extreme violent behaviour which you were both convicted of.”
The judge said Mr Cartner suffered three cuts to his throat which left him with a gaping wound, from which he was bleeding profusely.
“You left him in his bedroom, barricaded him in so he couldn’t escape, you set three fires, then left,” Judge Moreland said. “It seems to me you left him for dead.
“I’m confident you expected Frank Cartner to die and it’s no thanks to you that he did not.
“I’m satisfied this was a planned attempt to kill. Slater, you took the leading role and were the person who inflicted those three wounds to his throat.”
She added: “I’m led to the conclusion it was a wholly unprovoked and motiveless attack.
“I’m driven to the conclusion both of you are dangerous offenders.”
The then 38-year-old victim, who was unable to escape through a small window, desperately shouted for help as thick smoke filled his flat in the early hours of the morning.
He was “extremely fortunate to survive” after being rescued by firefighters in the September 2017 attack.
The court heard shortly before the incident, Mr Cartner had moved into a flat in Columbia Grange, Kenton, which didn’t have a connected electricity supply.
The defendants had helped him to set up his new home in the days leading up to the attack.
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, then found what he thought was the same phone. He took it and said James and Slater were there and didn’t 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.
But 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 at his own flat, Mr Cartner told them the fuse box was at his mother’s home nearby and it was retrieved.
Slater and James then went to Mr Cartner’s flat at around 2am on September 18.
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.