A man who stabbed his victim in the neck following a group assault in Ramsgate has been convicted of attempted murder.
Jacob Cromwell was one of nine people charged over the assault following an investigation by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.
The 25-year-old victim Ashley Grainger, from Ramsgate, was confronted by a group of teenagers in Harbour Street after he left a venue near the seafront at around 3am on Sunday, May 12, 2019.
It was said that a friend of Mr Gainger’s had previously been in a dispute with one member of the group, who shouted abuse at him as he made his way into the town centre.
The group chased him through the town, repeatedly punching and kicking him as he tried to defend himself.
Mr Gainger was then cornered in the doorway of Crusties bakery in Harbour Street, where he was punched, kicked and stamped on, before being stabbed in the neck.
CCTV later showed that Jacob Cromwell had pulled a knife from his trousers and inflicted the stab wounds.
The resulting wounds narrowly missed an artery in the victim’s neck and he was in hospital for 11 days.
Cromwell was arrested by police after photos he had posted online were matched with the clothes he was seen wearing in CCTV on the night of the assault.
Cromwell, 18, of no fixed abode, was charged with attempted murder and found guilty yesterday (February 27) following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court.
His fellow defendants were:
- Ashley Dorsett, 19, of Argyll Drive, Ramsgate, who admitted violent disorder and attempted wounding with intent.
- Jaden Cashin, 18, of Beatrice Road, Margate, who admitted violent disorder and attempted wounding with intent.
- Casey Carter, 18, of Beach Walk, Broadstairs, who admitted violent disorder.
- A 17-year-old boy, of Margate, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, who admitted wounding with intent and violent disorder.
- Isaac Roberts, 19, of Southeastern Road, Ramsgate, who was convicted of violent disorder and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
- Joshua Roberts, 19, of Argyll Drive, Ramsgate, who was convicted of violent disorder, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and attempted wounding with intent.
- Kieran Day, 19, of Dane Crescent, Ramsgate, who was convicted of attempted wounding with intent and violent disorder.
- A 19-year-old, of Margate, was found not guilty of violent disorder.
Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Chris Greenstreet, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “The victim was chased through Ramsgate with the group repeatedly attacking him.
“They punched, kicked and stamped on him before Jacob Cromwell moved in with a blade. He swung the weapon at the victim with no regard for the injuries he would cause and the victim was fortunate not to have been killed.
“The casual way in which Cromwell was willing to use a knife on someone who was posing no threat shows him to be a dangerous man and I’m pleased he will now be taken off the streets of Thanet.
“Kent Police takes a robust, proactive and zero tolerance approach to knife crime and will take action against anyone who carries or uses a blade.
“The thorough investigation we carried out into this attack and the number of convictions secured shows the lengths we will go to in order to bring violent offenders to justice.”
