Three jailed after sword attack
THREE members of the same family have been jailed after a rival was left so badly injured with swords and a bayonet he “died” and had to be brought back to life.
Victim Wayne Brown, nicknamed Squatter, had fallen out with the Lamb family over claims he had taken advantage of and bullied David Lamb.
After violence flared between Lamb and Mr Brown, Lamb summoned help from his brother Paul and nephew James Lamb.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the father and son raced to the scene in Felling, Gateshead, armed with two swords and a bayonet or dagger.
They attacked their rival, with James Lamb repeatedly sticking the bayonet in his neck before they fled, leaving him bleeding profusely.
He went into cardiac arrest on his way to hospital and needed surgery and 37 units of blood and 37 units of plasma to keep him alive.
The three Lambs had originally
been charged with attempted murder but prosecutors accepted guilty pleas to wounding with intent.
Mr Brown, a father, said in a victim impact statement: “Due to my injuries I died in the ambulance on the way to hospital. Thankfully they brought me back to life.
“The attack has been life-changing, my body has been left with horrible vivid scars I see every day. I cannot walk far, I shuffle around and I am fearful of going outside.”
Mr Brown added his spleen had to be removed.
He added: “I cannot touch metal things like cutlery now because it reminds me of the swords. I have to use plastic spoons and forks. My life has been totally and utterly ruined.”
The attack happened at Woodlands Terrace, Felling, just before 3pm on January 11 this year.
An argument broke out between David Lamb and Mr Brown over a debt.
They went outside and fought, Mr Brown getting the better of Lamb, kicking and punching the smaller man. Lamb called his brother, Paul, who arrived with his son James Lamb and the weapons.
David Lamb, of Hewitson Terrace, Gateshead, 51, Paul Lamb, 53, of Nursery Lane, Gateshead and James Lamb, 27, of Nursery Lane, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent. James Lamb also admitted possessing two offensive weapons and Paul Lamb admitted possessing a sword. All three were jailed for six years and nine months.
Rachel Hedworth, for Paul Lamb, said: “He acted entirely out of character. He has gone to the defence of his brother and perhaps acted out of misplaced loyalty.”
Geoff Knowles, for James Lamb, made claims about the victim’s behaviour leading up to the attack and said he only got involved due to the situation between his uncle David and Mr Brown.
Joe Hedworth, for David Lamb, said: “He is absolutely devastated about not only the awful injuries sustained by Wayne Brown but also the undoubted misery and upset he has caused to every member of his own family as a result of making that fateful phone call.”