Knife thug jailed for stabbing man in eye

NO remorse: a grinning Robert Hutchinson in handcuffs as he leaves Mold Crown Court after being jailed for 10 years

A KNIFEMAN has been jailed for 10 years after stabbing his Oldham victim so viciously that he had to have his eye removed.

Victim Sulman Ali (25) was sitting in his Audi in a car park in Wrexham, discussing with friends what to do for the rest of the night, when the car door suddenly flew open.

Defendant Robert Hutchinson (36) stabbed him a number of times in the head with a vicious lock knife — and one blow went straight into his eye.

Hutchinson, who already had convictions for 83 offences, was jailed for 10 years after admitting wounding Mr Ali with intent to do him grievous bodily harm.

The court heard that Hutchinson had been drinking that night and he and a friend were out looking for more alcohol in the early hours.

They walked though the car park and Hutchinson turned to his friend and said: “What did he just say?” and opened the door.

Mr Ali (25) had his back to the door and window when the knifeman screamed at him to get out of the car.

Hutchinson lunged at him: the first blow cut his lip, the second cut his hand between thumb and index finger and more blows followed.

He was stabbed on top of his head and finally in the eye as he was struggling to get out of the car.

Emergency surgery was carried out to remove the remnants of the eye.

Mr Ali later told how he couldn’t understand why the incident had happened. He had done nothing to provoke the attack and had simply been sitting in his car.

Paul Smith, defending, said his client was horrified by what he had done and full of remorse.

The judge did not believe this was genuine remorse.

The defendant claimed the stabbing was “inadvertent” and he only meant to scare Mr Ali.

Judge Merfyn Hughes QC, said,”“You may have heard something you thought was directed at you. That is no excuse and little if any justification.”

Judge Hughes said Hutchinson - previously jailed for eight years for grievous bodily harm, and jailed again for hurling stones at police during the Wrexham riots - would have been given 15 years but for his guilty plea.


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