A teenager who stabbed his victim in the neck following a group assault in Ramsgate has been jailed for 11 years.
Jacob Cromwell was part of a group charged 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 the victim had previously been in a dispute with one member of the group, who shouted abuse at the man as he made his way into the town centre.
The group then chased Ashley through the town, repeatedly punching and kicking him as he tried to defend himself.
He was then cornered in a doorway 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 cuts narrowly missed an artery in the Ashley’s neck and he was in hospital for 11 days.
Cromwell was arrested by police after clothes he wore in photos posted online were matched with the clothes he was seen wearing in CCTV on the night of the assault.
Cromwell, 18, of no fixed address, was charged with attempted murder and found guilty on Thursday, February 27 following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court.
Seven other defendants, who also took part in the violence, are due to be sentenced at a later date.
Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Chris Greenstreet, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “I welcome this sentence, which reflects the seriousness of what was a horrific crime.
“The victim was chased through Ramsgate by a group who repeatedly assaulted him. His attackers then punched, kicked and stamped on him before Jacob Cromwell moved in with a knife.
“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 for a significant amount of time.
“Kent Police takes a robust, proactive and zero tolerance approach to knife crime and will take action against anyone who carries or uses a knife.
“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.”
