A Merseyside man who repeatedly stabbed a wheelchair-bound stranger while shouting "have it, have it" has been jailed for nine years.
Glyn Holland, 41, of Meadfoot Road in Moreton, attacked the 62-year-old victim as he sat in his electric wheelchair on a grass verge close to a Co-op store on Hoole Road in Woodchurch, Wirral, at around 3.30pm on June 25.
The victim, a grandfather who suffered a stroke four years ago, had been chatting with friends about football moments before the assault. Children were playing nearby, and CCTV shown in court revealed a young boy cycling his bicycle on the road in the vicinity while the stabbing took place.
Unprovoked attack in broad daylight
Prosecutor Bethany Leigh said Holland approached the victim and proceeded to repeatedly stab him on the left-hand side of his body while shouting: "Have it. Have it."
Holland then continued along Hoole Road while gripping the knife in his right hand. He was later found by officers on Glebelands Road in Moreton with blood visible on his hands and forehead, at which point he told them he had "fallen over". The bloodstained blade was retrieved from waste bins close to the Co-op store.
Ms Leigh stated: "It is the crown's case, and it seems to be accepted by the defendant, that this assault was completely unprovoked. It seems that the complainant does not know the defendant. There were young children in close proximity to the incident as well."
Victim left 'a shell of himself'
The injured man was taken to Aintree Hospital with three chest stab wounds, which were considered life threatening. While the blade avoided his lung and heart, he suffered abdominal injuries and a ruptured spleen, leaving him in critical care and needing surgery to address internal bleeding.
His daughter's statement, read to the court on her behalf, said: "Our dad feels more vulnerable now. He doesn't like to be left alone. The impact this has had on the family has been huge. We weren't confident he would be well enough to pull through it."
"Before the incident, dad was a man of confidence," she added. "He had a great sense of humour and always had time for his children and grandchildren. Since the incident, we've seen a decline in his mental health and noticed a change in his behaviour and appearance. He now struggles to get out of bed in the morning. We have concerns this incident may trigger dad to return to addiction."
She continued: "It's heartbreaking for his children and grandchildren to see the man we loved become a shell of himself. I think knowing this man is off the streets brings some comfort to dad."
Judge: 'Little short of miraculous you did not kill him'
Holland, who has 52 previous convictions for a total of 68 offences including carrying a bladed weapon in public in 2018, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
Brendan Carville, defending, asked the court to permit his client to offer an apology, whereupon Holland stated: "I'm sorry. I've got no recollection of doing it and I do apologise."
Mr Carville added: "This man's life has been ruined by alcohol and his dependency upon it, which is sad because he is a qualified forklift truck driver. He stopped working because of his mental health, caused by alcohol. He has no recollections at all about this."
Sentencing Holland on Monday, October 5, Judge Simon Medland KC told him: "It is little short of miraculous that you did not kill him. This was an example of utterly mindless, drunken violence which rightly shocks and appals people."
The judge said: "The victim personal statement by his family member makes it abundantly apparent to me that such limited life as he had because of the stroke has been further reduced, almost to nothing, by your actions. You have no recollection of the offence at all because you were so drunk."
Although Judge Medland concluded a life sentence was "not necessary or merited", he addressed Holland directly: "I have considered the contents of the pre-sentence report and the facts of this case against the background of your very long standing addiction to alcohol and how that makes you behave. I agree with the author of the report that, by almost every metric, you pose a high risk of reoffending and of causing harm."
