Jake Bishop, aged 20, told the victim ‘I will kill you’ before stamping on another man’s head
A general image of a someone holding a knife(Image: Getty Images)
A judge stated it was a ‘great shame’ to send a knifeman into custody for slashing a man’s neck.
Jake Bishop grabbed the victim from behind on Birmingham’s Broad Street, took out a knife from his pocket and cut his neck.
The 20-year-old also threatened to kill him before he went on to stamp on another man’s head in the violent incident.
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On Thursday (January 8) Birmingham Crown Court heard he had never previously committed crime and had hopes of following his father into the military, a dream now seemingly in tatters following his conviction.
Bishop, of Walkers Heath Road, Kings Norton was sentenced to two years and three months in youth detention, which is above the two-year threshold for which custody can be suspended.
He had admitted attempted wounding with intent, possession of a knife in public and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Recorder Katya Saudek stated she was ‘surprised’ at the choice of the first charge, saying if Bishop had wanted to cause serious harm he could have in the circumstances.
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She also described the cut to the man’s neck as a ‘superficial’ minor injury.
However, the judge accepted he had pleaded guilty describing his actions as a ‘terrible waste of a life’.
Recorder Saudek said: “If I could have avoided sending you to custody I would have.
“But for people using and carrying knives in public places, it’s just not something I can do.”
The victims had been walking along Broad Street in the city centre on September 7 last year when they came across a group, including Bishop, who were arguing.
They tried to calm things down and one of victims pushed someone away.
Prosecutor Claire Harris said: “This defendant approached him from behind, grabbed him around the neck to totally prevent him moving.
“He pulled out a knife from his pocket and slashed his neck. He caused two superficial slashes.
“It was by luck rather than design the injury wasn’t more serious than it was.”
Bishop warned ‘I will kill you’ and then knocked the phone out of the hand of the victim’s friend who was recording the incident.
The latter man was further confronted by others and fell to the ground as he backed away, at which point Bishop stamped on his head.
Morgan Pirone, defending, stated Bishop had shown maturity by pleading guilty but still had ‘some growing up to do’.
He explained he had the knife for ‘self defence’ having been previously attacked.
The barrister added: “This young man is far more than the behaviour he displayed that night.
“He had hoped to follow his father into the military which plainly won’t happen now with this conviction.”
He added he had been left with a ‘pit in his stomach’ at making his mother cry at the propsect of him being sent to custody.
Rec Saudek, passing sentence, warned of the dangers of carrying knives.
She said: “You don’t expect to have to use them but you get yourself in an unexpected situation and in the spur of the moment you pull out that knife.
“People end up getting injured and sometimes people get very seriously injured of even killed.
“I see you nodding and know you understand that.
“Carrying knives is a very dangerous thing to do you obviously realise that.
“You obviously are paying a high price for carrying a knife because you had future plans and you threw them away and it’s a great shame.”