Teenage boy sentenced to two years and six months following stabbing in Southampton earlier this year

On May 19 the 16-year-old defendant, who cannot be named due to his age, was involved in a pre-arranged fist-fight on Perran Road,Southampton, with an 18-year-old man.During the course of the altercation the defendant stabbed the 18-year-old in the chest and left the scene. The 18-year-old attended hospital for treatment and was later discharged.The 16-year-old was arrested and charged with Section 18 – grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.He pleaded not guilty, however a jury found him guilty of Section 18 grievous bodily harm with intent last month and he has now been sentenced to 30 months in prison.Detective Sergeant Gary Stamp of Southampton’s Criminal Investigation Department said: “The victim in this case survived the injuries inflicted on him, but the outcome could have been significantly worse.“We are working hard to tackle knife crime in Southampton and will continue doing everything we can to ensure those responsible for such crimes are brought to justice.“We regularly make proactive efforts to target knife carriers and remove weapons from the streets. This work won’t stop, and we hope that anyone thinking of carrying recognises that there are serious consequences both for themselves and others when they make that decision to pick up a weapon.”Southampton Chief Inspector Chris Douglas said: “Carrying a knife will simply never be tolerated by police. Making that decision to pick up a bladed weapon creates the very real risk that you could kill or seriously injure someone. This case makes that shocking reality clear.“We are working relentlessly to reduce knife crime in partnership with other key agencies in the city including Southampton City Council, the Youth Justice Service, the Violent Crime Reduction Unit and the Violent Crime Taskforce. “You can always be confident to report concerns you have about serious violence or people carrying weapons. You are our eyes and ears in the community and we can only prevent and tackle these incidents with your support.”You can report to the police by calling 101 or visiting the website. Click here for more. In an emergency always call 999.