Mansfield drug addict sentenced to 15 years after stabbing 'friend'

A Mansfield drug addict who stabbed his sleeping 'friend' with a hunting knife leaving him without a kidney has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

After being arrested for the stabbing, Gavin Scott, 39, of Stone Crescent, Mansfield, told officers that the victim had been selling drugs and "he robbed me of £400 worth. He had it coming. I wish I had put it in his jugular."

Scott said in interview he had previously been upset with the victim because he had been "making fun of him behind his back".

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He was high on drugs when he armed himself with a hunting knife and stabbed the victim whilst he was asleep.

The 52-year-old victim was left in a critical condition after suffering a six-inch stab wound to his abdomen and serious internal injuries in the attack which happened at a property in Layton Avenue, Mansfield, at around 3am on March, 6, 2017.

He lost a kidney and spent a month in intensive care but has since left hospital.

Police officers found Scott hiding behind a shower curtain in the shower room at the property after being called by paramedics. He was unsteady on his feet and could not stand up without holding on to the wall when he was being arrested.

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Scott claimed he had been attacked by the victim who suffered the near-fatal injury in the scuffle.

He told detectives he had discarded the knife at the back of the property and officers later found it hidden up a drainpipe.

Scott denied causing grievous bodily harm with intent but was found guilty following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court last month.

He was told yesterday (April 6) that he will serve at least 11 years of his 15-year sentence in custody.

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Speaking after the trial, Detective Constable Matthew Dumbrell, who led the investigation, said: "The victim of this attack is lucky to be alive and it is only because he was treated by specialist surgeons at the Queen's Medical Centre that he managed to survive.

"A number of his internal organs were damaged in the attack and he had lost a kidney so the impact is truly life changing.

"This long sentence should send out a strong message to anyone thinking of carrying a knife that they could be locked up for a significant time if they use it. This was a relatively minor dispute that resulted in a significantly life-changing outcome for both the victim and the attacker because of the presence of a knife at a heated moment."