karate instructors nearly killed by gang of punks armed with knives

[Kungfoolss]

Knife attack thugs jailed

By Linda Piper
May 11, 2005

One attacker, Darren Cooper, was sentenced to 21 months for affray

TWO men have been left with physical and mental scars after a quiet night out turned into a bloodbath. The two men, then aged 20 and 39, had just stepped off a bus when they were approached by a gang of youths who asked if either of them had a cigarette. The news that neither had a cigarette was the signal for a vicious and unprovoked knife attack which left both men badly injured, one of them fighting for his life. Last week the five youths were jailed at Wood Green Crown Court for their parts in the terrifying assault in Abbey Wood, last July.

During the attack on July 10 last year, both men who are karate instructors, were stabbed and slashed by the gang, apparently using ordinary cutlery knives which had been sharpened on both sides.

The older man was left with an ear hanging off and slash wounds to his neck, arm and side. His 20-year-old friend suffered a lacerated liver, perforated lung and scarred kidney as well as being beaten around the head. Passers-by came to the aid of the two injured men, who do not want to be identified, and helped staunch their heavy bleeding. Both were taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich where the younger man underwent operations to try and stop the bleeding in his liver. He spent a week in intensive care and another week in hospital recovering from his injuries.

The victim was in court with his father last Friday to see his attackers sentenced. His dad told News Shopper his son was still trying to come to terms with what happened and is trying to build up his weight again. The other victim is still only working three days a week and says he suffers from depression and occasional memory loss. The officer in the case, Det Cons John Warne, said it had been a completely random attack. He added his thanks to the Crown Prosecution Service, which had built such a strong case, the defendants had been forced to plead guilty and save the victims the trauma of giving evidence.

Joshua Easom, aged 20, unemployed on Rutland Gate, Belvedere, pleaded guilty to stabbing both men. Darren Cooper, aged 20, a labourer of Burns Close, Slade Green; Dean Phillpott, aged 20, unemployed, of Hemsted Road, Erith; Darren Murphy, aged 19, an agency worker of Barnett Close, Slade Green, and James Faulkner, aged 21, unemployed of Bridge Road, Slade Green, all pleaded guilty to affray. Easom was one of the first youths in Bexley to receive an anti-social behaviour order in 2000, aged 15. And just two months before the stabbings admitted 16 car offences and was given a 12-month drug testing and treatment order by Bexley magistrates.

Easom was given five years youth custody for stabbing the younger man and a further two years to run concurrently for the attack on the older man. Darren Cooper was sentenced to serve 21 months for affray. Faulkner and Phillpott were each sentenced to 15 months behind bars and Murphy to 12 months.

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/n...ugs_jailed.php

[punchingdummy]

The good news is that two unarmed men survived an attack by five armed men.

[PizDoff]

Respect to the people who came to their aid.

[Traditional Tom]

A whole 21 months eh?
That'll teach him.
*cough*
Let's see, they unprovoked, attack people with home made knives and try to kill them. The worse they get is 5 YEARS... what the ****?!

[EternalRage]

careful Tom, or keinharr will come on the thread and yell at you about who is really the victim

[Kungfoolss]

The good news is that two unarmed men survived an attack by five armed men.

Probably because the armed punks opted to stop their attack, it doesn't look like they were forced to.

[Yrkoon9]

Bystandards came to their aid?

Wouldn't have happened in America.

[Kungfoolss]

Bystandards came to their aid?

Wouldn't have happened in America.

Oh sure we would have, only difference is the bystanders would've 'helped' themselves to the victims possessions. :icon_thum

[PizDoff]

Bystandards came to their aid?

Wouldn't have happened in America.

I actually noted that, also noted the subtle changes in the diction from one country's writer to another.

[Wounded Ronin]

I think that a lot of krotty people think that if they've learned some knife disarms knives are no longer scary.

Of course, this is erroneous. Me, I'm always scared of knives, because I know how arterial bleeding works.