The culprit had earlier fist-bumped him when they came across each other
A bar customer could easily have died after a drunken and “enraged’ man suddenly reached over and viciously stabbed him with a knife during a frightening and completely unprovoked attack. James Ward lunged a second time with the knife but missed and was heard saying: “I f***ing hate him.”
There was a large amount of blood but the shocked victim managed to grab Ward’s wrist to prevent a further attack, Hull Crown Court heard. Ward, 34, of Chrystals Road, Hornsea, but recently in custody on remand, admitted wounding the man with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possessing a knife on July 13.
Jazmine Lee, prosecuting, said that the man bought a drink and was sitting outside the Cloud Nine bar in Newbegin, Hornsea, with another man when he saw Ward approaching. They knew each other but were not friends and they fist-bumped each other.
Ward was stumbling and drunk. He asked whether a woman who was there was the man’s sister and he began acting strangely. He left the area but came back and reached into his pocket.
“The victim did not see the defendant approach because he was facing the opposite direction,” said Miss Lee. “The defendant reached over and stabbed him to the chest with a knife.”
Ward made a second stabbing motion but it did not make contact. The victim was able to grab Ward’s wrist to prevent a further attack.
Ward was enraged and he said: “I f***ing hate him” and appeared to be out of control. The second man saw the knife on the ground and was able to grab it. The victim went to hospital and was treated for a 2cm wound in his left rib area.
He later said that, after the stabbing, he ran from the scene “scared and bleeding”. The stab wound went close to his heart and he had never felt so helpless.
There was so much blood that he feared that he would not survive. He had suffered flashbacks and nightmares and he often relieved the moment.
“This was extremely traumatic,” he said. “I still have the physical scars on my body as a constant reminder.” The psychological effects had been just as devastating.
Rachel Scott, mitigating, said that Ward had the knife in his pocket for the whole time that he was out. “He had it for some gardening earlier in the day and he forgot it was there,” said Miss Scott.
Thankfully, there was not a fatality and Ward had said: “I will never forgive myself.” He had no previous convictions. “He really does understand the impact of his offending,” said Miss Scott.
“He has no recollection at all of the offending. He has blocked it out. This is very out of character behaviour.”
Ward had worked in the past in pubs without problems and in modular buildings construction. He turned to alcohol after a relationship ended and he lost his job, meaning that he could not pay his bills.
“His drinking got out of control,” said Miss Scott. He had written a “heartfelt” letter to the court and there were glowing references for him.
Judge John Thackray KC told Ward: “You went out drinking and you were illegally carrying a knife. You bumped into your victim, who knew you by sight, and, with no justification whatsoever, you took offence.
“You left and returned shortly afterwards and stabbed him in the chest area. Thankfully, the injury, although requiring hospital treatment, did not cause any serious life-threatening injury but that was only due to good fortune.
“This could so easily have been a fatality. These courts are well familiar with a single stab wound causing death and you would have been facing a life sentence.
“Your offending had a profound effect upon your victim. He had flashbacks. He required medication.”
Ward was jailed for three years.