Man who attacked soldier in Maidstone jailed for 10 years

04/02/2013

A man who stabbed and attempted to rob a former Gurkha soldier in Maidstone has been jailed for 10 years.

Jamie Hall attacked his victim in the town centre in October 2012, just after he had withdrawn money, but his victim fought back and overcame him, holding on to him until police arrived. His victim was left with two serious stab wounds to his arm, with part of the blade embedded in one of the wounds. He had to undergo surgery to have the knife blade removed.

Hall had previously pleaded guilty to a total of four charges. He was sentenced on Friday (1 February) at Maidstone Crown Court to four years imprisonment for attempted robbery, a 10 year prison term for causing grievous bodily harm with intent, one year in prison for having an offensive weapon and three months in jail for assault by beating, with all sentences to run concurrently.

Crown Advocate Martin Yale said: "Had it not been for the victims previous Army experience, this attack could easily have resulted in more serious injuries. It is to the victim's credit that he was able to fight off his attacker in this way and overcome him. Crimes like this are ones that always concern the public, as people can easily identify with them and put themselves in the place of the victim. Today's sentence highlights just how seriously attacks like this are taken by the criminal justice system."