Father-of-eight jailed for his part in Desborough stabbing

A father-of-eight has been jailed for his part in a street attack in November 2020 that left his victim a 'nervous wreck'.

Patrick Jimmy Gavin, 33, was sentenced to five years and one month after being convicted under joint enterprise of the offence.

His fellow defendant Matthew Lee had already been sentenced to five-and-a-half years in February 2021.

Gavin had armed himself with a shovel grabbed from the boot of his Mondeo to confront their victim, a man in his 40s, who was stabbed at least twice in their arm.

Prosecuting, Gary Short told the court that Gavin had ‘gone to ground’ for more than two years. In March 2021 the defendant’s identity had been established when he was picked out by the victim and his work colleague who had been in the van.

Gavin claimed that he didn’t know that the police were looking for him as he lived in a closed community.

The two men had been driving separate vehicles through Desborough when they spotted a man known to them both with who they had been in dispute with since a fight at a wedding more than two years before the stabbing.

The victim was at work and driving in his van with a colleague at about 11am in Gold Street, when he noticed two vehicles travelling the opposite way. One a van being driven by Lee and the other was a Ford Mondeo driven by Gavin.

As he went past them and into Harrington Road both vehicles performed a U-turn and followed him.

The Mondeo driver shot in front of him before getting out and grabbing a shovel from the boot. Lee's van blocked the victim’s van’s way.

Lee, by this time masked, attempted to stab the victim in the stomach but blocked the attack with his arm. He also recalled a blow to his face after which he retreated along the road. His wounds required stitches and he spent two days in hospital.

Today (Thursday) at Northampton Crown Court Gavin was jailed for five years one month of which he will serve two-thirds in custody, the rest on licence.

In an incident caught on CCTV the victim kicked out as his terrified colleague was told by Gavin that he would stay in the vehicle "if he knew what was good for him".

In a victim impact statement the stabbing victim said he was ‘a physical nervous wreck’.

Mitigating, Ben Gow said: “He himself used no direct action and kept the shovel to himself. It’s he that walked away first.

"He’s pleaded guilty and secondly his involvement was at a lower level than his co-defendant.”

Sentencing His Honour Judge Rupert Mayo said: “It was a joint attack. You had a shovel, your co-defendant had a knife that was used at least two times. The law of joint responsibility means that you are responsible.

"A highly dangerous weapon was used and revenge was an element. Happily, there was no permanent injury.”