Stabbed in the street by random stranger
CRAIG WAS ON A DAY OUT WHEN HE BECAME THE VICTIM OF A SENSELESS ATTACK
THE knife came out of nowhere. It took a few seconds for Craig Cheetham to realise what had happened.
And it was all the more frightening because there was no obvious motive for the stabbing.
One second the 31-year-old, from Ripley, was enjoying a day out, the next he was fighting for his life after being stabbed for no reason at all.
He had been enjoying a day in Lincoln with a girl he was seeing when he was stabbed in the back by a complete stranger. He has bravely chosen to speak about his experience.
The man who stabbed the 31-yearold quickly ran away while Craig was rushed to hospital, with paramedics fearing his lungs could collapse due to the wound.
Now Craig, who has thankfully made a full recovery from his injuries, wants to tell his story to highlight the impact of knife crime.
He says the last thing he was expecting after enjoying an afternoon out in the city when he became the victim of the senseless attack which took place on May 8, last year.
“I was walking with the girl I was seeing at the time, it was about 7.30pm,” he said. “I was walking down the street and this guy came out of a jitty and stabbed me underneath the shoulder blade.
“He pulled it out and ran off and dropped the knife in the canal.
“It all happened that quickly that the girl, who was behind me, didn’t realise I had been stabbed.”
Fortunately, there was an ambulance 100 yards away, and after the woman Craig was with rang the emergency services, paramedics and the air ambulance rushed to help.
“I must have passed out, I remember just seeing this guy in an orange high visibility jacket – I was told later he was from the air ambulance,” he said. “He was telling me they needed to cut off my clothes so they could drain the blood. It was the worst pain I have ever felt.
“I realised how serious things were when I heard the air ambulance guy say my lungs could collapse and I might die.”
Word of what happened quickly reached Craig’s family, with his sister bursting into a pub in tears to inform his parents he had been stabbed.
“The next time I actually woke up my family was at the end of the bed with my friends,” he said. “I could have died. It’s a very scary thing. It’s still not nice to think about the fact I nearly lost my life.”
Fortunately, Craig was able to make a full recovery and returned to work in his job at Sky Recruitment Solutions only a week after the incident.
Craig’s attacker, who he has asked us not to name, was imprisoned for 22 months, something he feels was too lenient for his actions. “He almost killed me and only got 22
months – but if you carry a knife or gun and get done for attempted murder you could get 22 years,” he said.
“I could have appealed, but the process is so complicated, and I’m just a normal guy trying to build a career.”
He says he now wants to help people who have been the victims of similar attacks, and wants to speak to them in an effort to help them through the mental impact such crimes can have.
Craig and his colleagues are raising money as part of a 12-month fundraising campaign, but are struggling to find a suitable charity.
He said: “I know I could help people who are struggling to go back to work or get back to normality after becoming the victim of knife crime. “As a business, we think we could make a real difference in helping communities and get knives off the streets.”
He is urging any knife crime charities that think they can help to get in touch by emailing administrator@ skyrecruitmentsolutions.co.uk
It’s a very scary thing. It’s still not nice to think about the fact I nearly lost my life.
Craig Cheetham