Neck slashed in town centre row over love rival
Knifeman cleared of attempted murder
A man who slashed the neck of a rival in Maidstone town centre after a row over a woman has been cleared of trying to murder him.
Harry Cadwallader was cut with a knife after a bust up in the centre of town.
Rodney Geisha, 50, also slashed the face of Mr Cadwallader’s brother, Jack, during the row. But a jury at Maidstone Crown Court found him not guilty of attempted murder and causing GBH with intent.
The jury convicted him of the alternative charges of wounding with intent and causing grievous bodily harm. They also found him guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice and possessing a knife in public.
Geisha, of Fairmeadow, Maidstone will be sentenced in June and was remanded in custody.
He had denied charges of attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm with intent, illegally carrying a knife and conspiring to pervert the course of justice.
Prosecutor Martin Yale had revealed how Mr Cadwallader’s neck was slashed on February 3 last year.
He said: “On that day the brothers had been in the centre of Maidstone and Harry had been drinking and accepts that alcohol was having an effect.
“At about 3.30pm they came across Geisha, who Harry had met when they did some physical training together.
“However, the two had fallen out when Harry came to believe that Geisha had made a pass at his girlfriend.”
Mr Yale said there had been a “verbal exchange” after the two clashed and a police officer spoke with them and they had separated.
But their paths crossed again later that evening, the court heard, when Geisha seemed to goad Harry before exposing the knife and slashing Harry’s neck and his brother’s face.
Geisha had told police he had been acting in self-defence, claiming Harry held a grudge against him.
Donna Meflah, Geisha’s girlfriend, has also admitted sending threatening text messages intended to persuade Harry to change his evidence and will be sentenced in June.
‘The two had fallen out when Harry came to believe that Geisha had made a pass at his girlfriend’