He has been jailed for the attack which left the victim needing stitches and ‘could so easily have caused a fatality’
A heavily-drunk man was viciously attacked with a “highly dangerous” Samurai sword after suddenly being confronted by an angry but grinning troublemaker when he returned to a party after going out to buy yet more alcohol. Kai Miller opened the door of the house before the victim even had time to knock and he quickly brought the fearsome 60cm-bladed sword down on the man’s head, leaving him covered in blood.
He callously told the victim “You best f*** off now. Ha! You are bleeding.” The injured man needed 10 stitches for a serious wound on his head, Hull Crown Court heard. Miller, 21, who was in custody on remand, admitted wounding the man with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and having a blade in Pocklington on January 27. He pleaded guilty on the day of a scheduled trial.
Michael Masson, prosecuting, said that the man was with a friend in Pocklington when he received a message on Snapchat to go to the house of a friend for a few drinks. She was a former friend of Miller.
The man decided between midnight and 1am to go over there. He had already drunk eight pints of lager and he was tipsy. “He purchased further alcohol from a garage on the way,” said Mr Masson.
The woman invited him into the house and others, including Miller were there. They continued drinking and were extremely drunk but, at that point, there were no issues or “bad vibes”.
The man decided at 3am to go to the garage to buy some more alcohol but he could not remember the journey as he was very drunk. He was away for about an hour.
When he returned, Miller opened the door before the man had time to knock and he brought his arm down from above his head in a downward motion. The man felt something hit him in the face and Miller slashed him straight away.
He punched the victim with the other hand. The man saw that Miller was armed with a weapon. He described it as a machete but it was more like a sword, with a 60cm-long silver blade and a wooden handle. Miller looked angry but he also had a grin on his face and there was laughing. “This all happened very quickly,” said Mr Masson.
“The item was recovered from the address when the defendant was later arrested.” The victim suffered a wound to his scalp and a scratch on his face.
He needed 10 stitches for the wound and he thought that he would be permanently scarred. Miller told the man: “You best f*** off now. Ha! You are bleeding.”
The victim feared that he might have his head cut off. He called his friend for help and arrived back at the pal’s home covered in blood.
Miller was arrested after a search in Pocklington. He made no comment to all questions during police interview. He had previous convictions, including for assault and possessing weapons.
Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that it was a really serious wound and Miller made a frank admission that he had been drinking at the time. There were references for Miller and they showed a “completely different side” to him.
“He has continually been in trouble, even during his early years,” said Mr Shipley. “He has shown some insight into what is going on. He knows he is facing a significant period in custody.”
Judge John Thackray KC told Miller: “You armed yourself with a sword, which is a highly dangerous weapon, and you attacked your victim with it. You caused a very serious wound in the rear of his head and further injuries are shown on his face and neck.
“This weapon could so easily have caused a fatality and, had it done so, you would have been facing a sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years or so. You have got a bad record for violence for one so young. You are at an age where you can change your ways.”
Miller, of York, was jailed for five years and four months. He was given a 10-year restraining order.