Violent thug who killed a grandfather back behind bars for 'zombie' knife stabbing

Jake McCabe attacked his victim when he was already involved in a fight with the brother of man's former partner, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The 25-year-old plunged the blade into the knee, thigh, and buttock of his victim when violence erupted in Darlington in the summer.

Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, told the court how McCabe had been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for causing the death of father-of-three Andrew Corfield by dangerous driving in 2014.

• Homeless Darlington man 'exploited' by cannabis farmer

Miss Atkinson said the defendant also had convictions for robbery on his record.

Dealing with the stabbing in a back alley on Brougham Street, Darlington, she said: “There was a confrontation between two men which took place down an alleyway, they were fighting.

"It was while the victim was involved in that altercation that the defendant has come in and stabbed him three times.”

Jake McCabe

The court heard how the knife and McCabe’s distinctive orange shorts were discovered by a dog walker stuffed inside a rucksack which had been thrown into a field.

The injured man's wounds were treated at hospital.

In a victim impact statement, he said he didn’t expect the stabbing to ‘get to him so much’ and had left him feeling scared and extra cautious.

Emergency services at the scene of the stabbing in Darlington

McCabe, of Crosby Street, Darlington, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article.

Nigel Soppitt, in mitigation, urged the judge to give McCabe full credit for his early guilty plea and said he was ‘fairly institutionalised’ at this point.

He added: “He is in no doubt that this is a grave offence, he has no doubt about that whatsoever.”

Recorder Simon Goldberg sentenced McCabe to four years in prison with an additional two years on extended licence after branding him a ‘significant risk of harm’ to the public.

He said: “When you committed this offence, you had taken the zombie knife out with you in case you needed it and on that basis this was your fourth serious offence in a relatively short period of time.

“You involved yourself in a fight that was nothing to do with you, your involvement was gratuitous and dangerous.”

This was not McCabe's first brush with the law after he was jailed on 2014 for the death by dangerous driving charge and robbery.

McCabe fled from the crash scene – in a 30mph zone at the junction of Fordyce Road and Cass House Road on October 28, 2014 – and initially claimed he was a passenger.

The prosecutor at the time Sue Jacobs said McCabe was later seen “very shaken up”, with blood on his clothes and told a pal he had "wiped them out".

The Corfield family: Lisa with Andrew, Owen, Alice and Amy

Zoe Passfield, mitigating, said McCabe was first in trouble as a 12-year-old for actual bodily harm.

Mr Corfield was well known as a charity fundraiser after his son died from cot death in 1995, and the creator of Teesside's version of kids' favourite Postman Pat.

In an online tribute, Mr Corfield's son Owen said: “I’ve lost my dad, my role model my hero. I will always love you, you will never be forgotten."

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated Darlington Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054