Man jailed for eight years after machete attack outside Bristol shop

A 26-year-old man who attacked a man with a machete outside a Bristol shop has been jailed.

Kaleb Lewis, of St Pauls in Bristol, was jailed for eight years at Bristol Crown Court on Monday (February 26) after being found guilty of wounding with intent and being in possession of a bladed article.

The court heard how on August 25 last year, Lewis approached a man in his 30s outside a shop in Stapleton Road. 

During an altercation, Lewis drew a sword-style machete and attacked the victim, who was defending himself with a plank of wood. 

Lewis was arrested two days later and attempted to hide the weapon and deny his presence at the scene.

The victim sustained three wounds to his wrist, shoulder and face and required hospital treatment for his injuries.

Another defendant, 20-year-old Lemar Douglas, from Horfield, pleaded guilty for assisting an offender by hiding the clothing after the offence. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Lewis was sentenced to eight years in prison for the wounding charge, with the judge sentencing him to 18 months for carrying the bladed article. The two sentences will run alongside one another.

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In his sentencing remarks, Judge Pakrooh expressed the 'real danger' of carrying a knife. He added: "Whether you want it to or not, what you carry on your person becomes a lens through which you view the world.

"When you struck [the victim], you did so with the intention of causing very serious harm. I find the weapon is so dangerous that it is a matter of good fortune that the victim was not even more gravely injured."

Avon & Somerset Police investigating officer, DC Jamie Evans, said: "Knife crime is a serious problem which heavily impacts our communities. We have seen the impact that carrying a knife can have on people, with too many people losing their life or being seriously harmed by someone carrying a knife.

"By choosing to carry a knife that day, Lewis caused significant harm to his victim which could have been even more serious or even life-threatening if the circumstances were different.

"I hope this sentence sends an important message to anyone thinking of carrying a knife what the repercussions of their actions could be."