The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A Holbeach man who carried out a stabbing on the town’s High Street after a pub altercation was today (Tuesday) sentenced to four years in a young offenders institution.
Joshua Marshall, 20, was found near Gedney after crashing his car into a ditch during the early hours of August 28.
Lincoln Crown Court heard Marshall and the victim, ex-soldier Charlie Foster, 24, were known to each other and had been involved in an earlier altercation in the Red Lion beer garden.
Mr Foster’s group left the pub and just after 1am Marshall was seen in an alleyway near the High Street with something apparently glinting in his hand, the court was told.
Phil Howes, prosecuting, said: “This was a drunken, revenge attack in the street.
“The defendant returned to his car and armed himself with a small folding knife which he used to stab the victim twice after previous words in the beer garden.”
Witnesses described the two men coming together near the High Street.
Mr Foster suffered two cuts, one under his armpit, and another to his stomach, but did not realise he had been stabbed until after he had punched Marshall to the ground, leaving him temporarily unconscious.
One of Mr Foster’s friends began driving him to Pilgrim Hospital, and was later helped by the police.
Mr Foster was operated on after one of the wounds reached his colon. He also suffered a punctured lung which may have been caused by a rib fracture.
Mr Howes told the court Marshall had been heard threatening to stab Mr Foster in the pub.
Marshall also rang 999 and said he had crashed his car after stabbing someone.
He was found by police emerging from his car after crashing into a ditch near Gedney and smelt of alchohol. Tests showed he was just over twice the drink-drive limit.
Police also recovered a small folding knife.
In a victim impact statement Mr Foster said he was off work for two months and the stabbing had changed his life, as he was now reluctant to go out.
Marshall, of High Street, Holbeach, pleaded guilty to section 18 wounding, possessing an offensive weapon and drink-driving on August 28 last year.
The court heard Marshall was also convicted of drink-driving four days before the stabbing on August 24, after being twice the legal limit, and was on police bail at the time.
Edna Leonard, mitigating, said Marshall had written to his victim and had no previous convictions before August last year.
Miss Leonard told the court Marshall rang the police himself on the night.
“There was clearly some difficulty in the pub,” Miss Leonard added. “The complainant was heard saying ‘go get your knife then.’
“He went back to his car. It was a work multi-tool. That was why he had it.”
The court heard Marshall required special educational needs, but worked hard as a labourer, and had previously been bullied because of his height.
Miss Leonard said Marshall was now sober after previously drinking to cope with his difficulties.
Passing sentence Recorder Samuel Skinner told Marshall that there were two stabbings and a degree of premeditation.
“The most significant and grave matter was the stabbing,” Recorder Skinner added.
“You went up to Charlie Foster and stabbed him twice.”
Marshall was also banned from driving for three years and a restraining order was made which prevents him having contact with Mr Foster for ten years.
