A RUBERY teenager has been jailed for four-and-a-half-years for stabbing a delivery driver in a car park.
The 17-year-old was handed the sentence at Birmingham Crown Court after pleading guilty to the knife attack on McDonald’s car park, Yardley Wood, on January 27.
The court heard the 22-year-old driver was initially attacked by a group of teens after he confronted them for messing about on the car park and kicking his car.
When he tried to run to safety inside the fast food restaurant, the attacker pulled out a combat knife and plunged it into the driver’s arm. The knife narrowly missed a major blood vessel.
Shocked customers and staff chased away the group and contacted emergency services. They then took the driver inside and waited for help to arrive.
The victim was rushed to hospital, where he was found to have arterial and nerve damage. He underwent surgery, and although his injuries were not life-threatening, the nerve damage has left him with no feeling in his finger.
Police cordoned off the blood-soaked store for several hours to allow for a forensic investigation to take place.
CCTV from inside and outside the restaurant allowed officers to piece together the circumstances of the attack, and identify the 17-year-old as a suspect.
The teenager was arrested from his home address in Rubery the following day. In custody he admitted punching the driver, but denied stabbing him.
However, with the evidence stacked against him, he later pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of Class A drugs and was subsequently jailed.
Det Con Matt Standen, who led the investigation, said: “This really was a shocking and vicious attack.
“The victim simply confronted the offender and his friends for kicking his car, and as a result he was stabbed.
“His life left hanging in the balance by a matter of millimetres.
“The level of violence used is as extreme as it is worrying, in my mind the offender had no regard for the victim’s life. Behaviour like this is totally unacceptable, and has no place in our society.
“His victim is still dealing with the physical and psychological effects of the attack and I hope that this sentence brings him some peace of mind.”
He thanked the staff at McDonald’s for their help and cooperation at the time of the attack, and throughout the investigation.
