Black Country teen walks free after knife attack on rival

The attacker got in an argument with a group of girls after he was accused of calling one of them a ‘slag’, which he repeatedly denied, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Another girl called her boyfriend to complain about the aggressive behaviour of the youth before handing him the phone, said Mr Oliver Woolhouse, prosecuting.

The defendant was told that the boyfriend was going to ‘kick his head in,’ continued the prosecutor.

The girl later rang the boyfriend again and discovered he was on his way to find the teenager who left Swan Pool Park, Stourbridge, to return home, the court was told.

The defendant was then phoned by a friend who warned him a gang of youths had congregated near his road and had told him to pass on the message that repeated the threat of his head being ‘kicked in.’

“Fearing for his safety he picked up a glass bottle and a knife to frighten off the group,” maintained Mr Woolhouse.

The youth – now aged 17 – walked towards the group where the girl who had called her boyfriend took the glass bottle from him before pulling his coat over his head.

Her boyfriend then knocked him to the ground with repeated punches to the face before jumping on him but the defendant managed to get to his feet.

He then continued the fight, during which he drew the knife which he waved from side to side in ‘slashing movements’ to allegedly scare off the attacker but caught him across the left forearm with the blade.

The victim was taken to hospital where he needed seven stitches. He could be scarred for life after the incident on May 11 last year.

He told police he was scared of returning to the area because he was ‘worried about what might happen.’

He added: “It has affected me both physically and psychologically.”

The defendant, who cannot be named because of his age but comes from Brierley Hill, admitted wounding and was given a 12 month rehabilitation order together with two months night time curfew.

He was also ordered to complete 50 hours unpaid work by Judge Michael Challinor, who said: “I am satisfied that dealing with him in the community is the best way to turn him away from violence.”

The sentence came the day after 15-year-old Keelan Wilson was stabbed to death in a Wolverhampton street.