A teenager has been jailed for 11 years and eight months for a serious assault in Swindon earlier this year.
Aaron Toward-Parker, who is 19, of Bath Road, Old Town, appeared at Swindon Crown Court today (03/10/19) for sentencing.
He was previously found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent following a trial. He had previously pleaded guilty to having an offensive weapon and threatening another with an offensive weapon. He was sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison.
Co-defendant Jack Parfitt, also now 18, of Tudor Walk, Swindon, previously pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and unlawful wounding. He was previously sentenced to a two-year rehabilitation order.
It relates to an incident in Bexley Walk, Swindon, on the evening of Sunday 20 January 2019.
Parfitt arranged to meet one of the victims in the park to discuss an ongoing dispute involving one of their girlfriends.
Both defendants arrived armed with weapons and intending to assault the victims, who were not armed and not expecting violence.
When they arrived, Parfitt shot one of the victims twice in the face using an air gas gun, and Toward-Parker stabbed another victim in the lower back, causing the knife to become stuck in his buttock.
The victim required surgery to have the large knife removed.
Det Sgt Scott Anger, from Swindon CID, said: "We welcome today’s sentencing and we hope this case sends a strong message to those, particularly young people, who are thinking about carrying a knife.
“People need to understand the very real dangers that carrying a knife can bring. This incident could very easily have been a murder investigation, but thankfully the two victims have gone on to make good recoveries.
“I would also like to commend everyone involved in this lengthy investigation – the officers and staff involved in bringing these offenders to justice, and the victims and witnesses who have co-operated with our enquiries and allowed us to ensure that these two defendants are now behind bars.”
Wiltshire Police has recently been running Operation Sceptre, a campaign dedicated to reducing knife crime, which included a knife amnesty. You can find more information, including comments on knife crime from our Assistant Chief Constable and Police and Crime Commissioner, here www.wiltshire.police.uk/article/5033/Op-Sceptre-results-and-round-up
You can find out more about our knife crime prevention work on our website www.wiltshire.police.uk/article/2925/Offensive-weapons
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