Jail for man who stabbed teen in back in Bulwell
Reegan Smith was standing nearby when one of his friends got into a fight with the 17-year-old victim.
A man who stabbed a teenager when his back was turned has now been locked up.
Reegan Smith was standing nearby when one of his friends got into a fight with a 17-year-old boy.
After watching the duo throw punches for a few seconds outside KFC in Bulwell, Smith crept up behind and pulled out a knife from his pocket.
He then used the weapon to stab the boy in the back before fleeing from the scene in Hucknall Lane – all while the fight continued.
The victim didn’t realise he had a stab wound to his back until after Smith and his accomplice had left the car park where the dispute had taken place on 6 October last year.
He was taken to hospital for injuries that ultimately weren’t deemed life-threatening or life-altering.
Within the space of 24 hours, detectives had identified and arrested Smith – who was 19 at the time – after gathering the evidence showing him to be the person behind the knife attack.
He pleaded guilty to the charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing a knife in public when they were put to him.
After being remanded in custody following that Nottingham Crown Court appearance on 14 November, he returned there to be sentenced on Thursday (24 April).
Smith, of Caunton Avenue, St Ann’s, received an extended custodial sentence of seven years and ten months.
He was sentenced to four years and ten months in a young offenders' institution. Smith will then spend three further years on extended licence when he’s released.
Detective Constable Ben Grayson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“Reegan Smith’s actions that day left his victim with injuries that were thankfully not far more severe.
“While the teenage boy he attacked was focusing on someone else he was fighting with at the time, Smith silently crept up behind and stabbed him in the back.
“His violent behaviour and his decision to attack this other unsuspecting person when their back was turned was both abhorrent and cowardly in equal measure.
“Thankfully for everyone involved, the knife didn’t cause life-threatening or life-altering injuries, although Smith would’ve had no way of knowing that when he produced and used the weapon.
“That decision to carry a weapon in public can lead to devastating consequences for so many people – from the person injured, to the person responsible, to all of their loved ones as well.
“This was an incredibly serious offence that could’ve caused catastrophic damage, so we’re pleased to see Smith has now been punished for his actions in the form of a custodial sentence.”