A youth who carried out a stabbing in Nottingham city centre has had his unduly lenient sentence increased after referral by the Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox QC MP.
On 8 March the offender, now 18, approached the victim in the Trinity Square area of Nottingham and asked “what are you looking at?” When the victim went to walk away the offender pulled out a large knife.
The victim tried to escape but the offender lunged at him with the knife on at least 4 occasions. One blow made contact with the victim’s shoulder, causing a deep wound that required 4 stitches.
On 16 May the offender was sentenced to an 18 month rehabilitation order at Nottingham Crown Court. This included 240 hours of unpaid work, a supervision requirement for 18 months and regular contact with a police officer assigned to his case.
The Court of Appeal increased this to 18 months detention and training order, after the sentence was referred as being unduly lenient.
After the hearing the Attorney General said:
“This was a serious offence, for which a rehabilitation order was not appropriate. A custodial sentence was important for both the protection of the public and upholding confidence in the justice process.”