A drunken burglar who broke into his neighbour's home and stabbed him in the neck after drinking wine and taking drugs has been jailed. Matters were said to have "escalated quickly" when the victim awoke to find Aaron Carney wielding a knife at his bedside.
This led to a prolonged scuffle in which the occupant was repeatedly stabbed and slashed, suffering permanent scarring as a result. Despite his injuries, the victim attempted to remove one of his assailant's trainers to secure evidence, although the intruder then set fire to his bloodstained clothing outside his own home.
Victim woke to find intruder at bedside
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Wednesday that Sean Sibanda was awoken at his address in Haydock shortly after 2.15am on April 20 this year to find Carney standing at the end of his bed while armed with a hunting knife and wearing a face covering. The 24-year-old defendant, of nearby Abbey Road, was crouched down and looking through drawers in the bedroom at this stage.
Jamie Baxter, prosecuting, described how Mr Sibanda challenged him and grabbed him by his clothing. But Carney responded by repeatedly punching him, with these blows continuing after he was pushed to the floor and shouted for help.
Mr Sibanda then noticed blood coming from the side of his neck, at which stage he realised he had been stabbed. Carney continued to slash him across the sternum and shoulder with the knife before running downstairs and climbing out of the kitchen window.
'Remarkable statement' from victim
Mr Sibanda followed him as he attempted to escape over a garden fence, grabbing hold of his leg and trying to remove one of his trainers in a bid to secure evidence for detectives. This led to Carney slashing him once more above the right eyebrow, allowing him to flee after stealing only a toiletry bag.
With neighbours having come to his aid before he was taken to hospital, Mr Sibanda detailed in a statement, which was read to the court on his behalf, how he will be left with permanent scars and "no longer sleeps for more than three hours". This led to him falling asleep in his car at a set of traffic lights on one occasion, while he also "barricades his own door" and "at times has to sleep with the lights on".
But Mr Sibanda also told Carney that he "hopes he learns from this and changes his life for the better". Mr Baxter added of this: "A remarkable statement, in all the circumstances."
Defendant torched clothing outside own home
CCTV footage earlier showed Carney entering the front garden of another nearby address on Peach Grove, having climbed onto the garden fence before instead breaking into Mr Sibanda's home. Further 999 calls subsequently reported a fire in the street on Abbey Road in the early hours, with Carney having been captured in his dressing gown and apparently torching his bloodstained clothing.
His criminal record shows a total of 25 previous convictions for 60 offences, having been subject to a community order at the time of his latest crimes. Stephen McNally, defending, told the court: "My respectful submission is that this is a sad case all round.
"I cannot diminish what must have been a shocking ordeal for Mr Sibanda. It is sad to see a young man of just 24 years of age throwing away such a significant part of his life to a prison sentence.
"Clearly, there is very little in terms of mitigation that can be advanced. It is plainly an extremely serious incident. The circumstances of the event reveal the state that he was in and also demonstrate a complete lack of any criminal sophistication. Not only does he break into an address that is just yards from his own, but, having done so, when he extricates himself from Mr Sibanda's address, he starts a fire outside his own door, acting as a beacon to the police.
"He was in a very intoxicated state. He had drunk a number of bottles wine and taken drugs. It is a lesson, perhaps, in how, to use his words in the pre-sentence report, events got out of hand very fast. Events, in my submission, simply accelerated in a way which Mr Carney did not intend at the outset. It comes against a background of a deteriorating mental health situation and attempts to self-medicate through alcohol and substance misuse."
Since his remand into custody, McNally said Carney had engaged positively, completed a number of courses and sought further support, engaging with both substance abuse and mental health teams. He added that Carney was in care as a child as a result of a turbulent childhood and struggled at school with limited qualifications.
Break-in 'got out of hand'
Carney admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and aggravated burglary. Wearing a black Montirex tracksuit in the dock, he was jailed for seven-and-a-half years and an extended licence period of two years.
Sentencing, Recorder Gavin McBride said: "The facts have been set out, and they are shocking. This is the burglary of a dwelling house close to where you live in the early hours. The occupant is asleep in bed. They are disturbed by the presence of you at the end of their bed. Your face is covered. The occupant, understandably shocked, reacts, combats you in the defence of themselves and their property.
"Matters certainly escalated, with you, with a knife causing stab and slash wounds to the occupant. The altercation continues. You flee. You are pursued. You then go to your home nearby and start a fire, burning to get rid of the clothes which had the blood of the occupant on them.
"You, in fact, tried another property beforehand in an attempt to burgle that. You have 25 convictions for 60 offences. It is right that they are not materially of a violent background. Mostly, they are acquisition matters and burglary matters, notably, burglary of a dwelling in 2017 and 2018 and other burglaries of dwellings in and around 2020 and an assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2023. It is repetitive offending by you over a prolonged period."
He added: "What is clear is that you do have a background of significant substance misuse. Indeed, on the day of the offending, alcohol, drugs, a combination of drugs, certainly played a part. That has played a part in your life for many years, contributing to the misery, I am sure, of many others, but also yourself. Whatever mental health issues you suffer, to cope with them, as you have done, with alcohol and drugs is of no benefit to you.
"You explained in the report that you did not initially intend to use violence. But you did act like this. It escalated quickly, with you using a knife. I accept that you demonstrate remorse for it getting out of hand. I am pleased to see that you are engaging in custody, and you are abstinent from drugs. But I cannot ignore, in the report, the comments that you have minimised your responsibility, particularly with the use of the blade, the nature of your entrenched offending and your poor response to intervention previously.
"I take into account that you are only 24, and that is a mitigating factor. I note your personal circumstances, a turbulent childhood. I note the positive steps that you are now taking whilst in custody."
Blood on trainers
Carney will be required to serve two thirds of his seven-and-a-half years behind bars before becoming eligible for release. He was also handed a 10-year restraining order.
Merseyside Police's Detective Inspector Kevin O'Rourke said following the hearing: "This was a shocking burglary, carried out by a man who clearly had no regard for anyone inside the home. Carney was clearly intent on taking what didn't belong to him and wasn't going to let anyone stand in his way.
"An investigation found his DNA at the scene of the crime, and also the victim's blood was identified on his trainers. Carney simply had no choice but to admit his involvement due to the sheer weight of evidence produced against him.
"I hope the sentencing of Carney can bring some comfort to the victim. I also want to take this opportunity to reassure the wider community that incidents of this nature are extremely rare.
"This result shows the extensive work that our officers and staff carry out to put offenders before the courts. CCTV and doorbell devices can often be the key to successful investigations, so I'd keep encouraging anyone who captures offences or people acting suspiciously to come forward and we can make an assessment and take action."
