Teenager locked up for knife attack (From The Northern Echo)

Teenager locked up for knife attack

3:03pm Sunday 17th February 2013 in News By Gavin Havery, Reporter (Derwentside & Tyneside)

A TEENAGER who stabbed a Halloween party-goer with a knife has been jailed for four years.

Michael Urwin was at a party at the Coach and Horses in Leadgate, Consett, County Durham, when he was overheard threatening to slash his own mother.

Stephen Wilson admonished him for the threat, but the 18-year-old went home and armed himself with a kitchen knife, returning to attack Mr Wilson.

Jolyon Perks, prosecuting at Newcastle Crown Court, said: “The complainant saw him lift his hand with the knife in it, went to grab the hand but missed, and the defendant put the knife up into his chin.”

Mr Wilson was taken to University Hospital of North Durham where medics closed the single stab wound with stitches.

Mr Perks told the court Mr Wilson overheard the defendant say ‘I’m sick of my mother. I’m going to slash her up when she gets home’.

Mr Wilson asked the defendant ‘does that make you feel like a big man’?

Urwin’s response was to try to hit Mr Wilson with a beer glass, the court heard.

The teenager came off worse in the fight that followed, slouching away bleeding and with a black eye.

But half an hour later he was back, marching at Mr Wilson with the knife raised in his right hand.

Urwin, of Dunelm Walk, Leadgate, admitted wounding with intent and knife possession.

Mitigating, Ronald Mitchell said the violence had been out of character.

He added: “He is an immature young man. This was an isolated incident and I ask that he be given full credit for his guilty plea at the first available opportunity.”