Man faces prison for knife attack

A thug faces years behind bars for knifing a man and pushing him out of a window.

Luke Punt, 20, was due to stand trial on Wednesday accused of attempted murder, but his guilty plea to wounding Tony Neal with intent to cause grievous bodily harm was accepted.

He also admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Neal at his home in Well Road, Maidstone, on September 8 last year.

Prosecutor Andrew Forsyth said Punt, then 19, accepted he attacked the victim with his fist and then with a knife, intending to cause him really serious harm.

“He continued with a push,” he said. “As a result, Mr Neal fell from a window on to the pavement below, sustaining further injuries.”

Mr Neal, 56, landed on his head. He was taken to London’s King’s College Hospital with injuries including a fractured skull and vertebrae. He was at first in an induced coma and is now recovering.

Judge Jeremy Carey adjourned sentencing until August 14 so that dangerousness could be assessed.

Punt, of Tonbridge Road, Maidstone, will also be sentenced for assaulting an elderly man, causing actual bodily harm, committed shortly before the attack on Mr Neal.

A judge heard at a previous hearing how victim Derek Ruffhead, 79, was punched in the face walking along Wells Road.

Remanding Punt in custody, Judge Carey said if he decided Punt was dangerous, an extended sentence could be imposed.