Jail for knife 'torture' attack

The court was told the victims were attacked in their home

A man has been jailed for two years for a knife attack which a judge said was "in the nature of torture".

Thomas Andrew Williams, 32, burst into Karl Greenhalgh's home in Llandudno, Conwy, with another man and attacked him and his partner Leanne Murdock.

At Mold Crown Court, Williams, of Liverpool, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Greenhalgh and assaulting Ms Murdock.

Jamie Smith, 32, of Liverpool, admitted affray and his sentence was adjourned.

Williams - already serving a sentence for public protection after being branded a dangerous man after attacking his partner - will have to serve the sentence concurrently with a three-year extended licence period.

The court heard how, at the time, Williams and Smith had been staying at the home of a third defendant, Jody Lea.

She had taken them to the victim's home in the belief that they could buy drugs.

'In agony'

Oliver King, prosecuting, said Mr Greenhalgh was woken by tapping noises at the lounge door and on two occasions went to the window.

Williams, who he did not know, was there and mimicked smoking drugs.

He was told to go away but later Mr Greenhalgh answered a knock on the door, believing it was a member of his family.

The two male defendants burst in and Williams produced a knife with an 8in (20cm) blade and punched him several times to the left eye and cheek.

Williams demanded drugs, was told that he did not have any, but the knife was used to cut him to the face and to the back.

The knife was used repeatedly to threaten him, and when Miss Murdock appeared they were offered money instead of drugs.

'Sustained attack'

Mr Greenhalgh told his attacker that if he had drugs then he would give them to him, to avoid being stabbed, but it was then that Williams went on to inflict the injury to his back.

"The victim describes himself lying on the floor, on his side, wriggling in agony," said Mr King.

Williams struck Miss Murdock with the butt of the knife to the face before leaving.

Recorder CR Fox said that it was a particularly nasty incident.

"You took part in a sustained attack, which was in the nature of torture," the judge said.

Lea, who had stood by the door during the attack, admitted affray and was given a 12-month community order of supervision and an order was made that she should not approach Mr Greenhalgh or Miss Murdock for the next 12 months.