Man stabbed 'out of the blue' by complete stranger

A man fell into a state of shock after being stabbed in the abdomen by a complete stranger in the street. He was hospitalised as a result of the attack and required an operation to repair damage to his organs.

Joshua Barnes, 28, wounded Richard Holtam in Bridgend town centre in the early hours of January 3 after stabbing the victim with a knife in an attack which came "out of the blue". Mr Holtam initially didn't realise he had been stabbed and was administered first aid by the assistant manager of a nearby pub.

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court heard Mr Holtam attended a Wetherspoon pub, played pool, and went to the Roof nightclub before attending the houses of two friends and then walking home. As he approached the Coity Castle pub the victim was heavily intoxicated but remembered speaking to Barnes who had approached him.

Prosecutor David Pugh said: "Then [Mr Holtam] remembers, out of nowhere, he believed the defendant initially punched him to the stomach and then the defendant leaving. Afterwards he could see door staff opposite on the other side of the road at the Roof nightclub looking at him concerned. He started making his way over to them and realised he had been stabbed."

Door staff and assistant manager Shannon Horgan assisted Mr Holtam and Ms Horgan provided first aid until police and paramedics attended the scene. The victim was taken to the Princess of Wales Hospital where he received treatment for a 2cm wound to the left side of his abdomen and the small bowel, which required an operation under general aesthetic. He was discharged after six days in hospital.

Barnes, of Heol y Parc, North Cornelly, was arrested nearby in Minerva Street but the knife was never recovered. It was revealed that prior to the stabbing the defendant had been on a "binge" lasting four days having taken crack cocaine, heroin, Valium, Pregabalin, and alcohol.

There were initial concerns about his fitness to plea but he later pleaded guilty to section 18 wounding and possession of a bladed article. The court heard he had 18 previous convictions for offences such as affray, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault, battery, and domestic violence.

In a victim personal statement read out to the court Mr Holtam said: "I recall feeling completely in shock as it happened completely out of the blue. At the time I did not realise I had been stabbed. I thought I was in a state of shock for the days that followed....

"The period I was in hospital was a complete blur for me and I felt completely helpless. I was in a lot of pain and unable to move much and was unable to go to the toilet unaided. My independence had been taken away from me."

In mitigation Adam Sharp said his client had long-standing mental health issues and had experienced a "traumatic and unhappy life". He said the defendant's parents were addicted to heroin and alcohol and he was a victim and witness to domestic abuse. His brother died at the age of 13 and he had recently lost a close friend. The defendant had mainly lived on the streets during the last decade, was addicted to opiates and alcohol, and had been stabbed himself which left him carrying a knife and paranoid.

Judge Hywel James sentenced Barnes to a sentence of five years and four months imprisonment. He also sentenced him to an extended licence of two years upon his release from prison.

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