Incident Details
Three men who intentionally used a car to knock a teenage boy off his bicycle and subsequently stabbed him have been sentenced to prison.
Jack Ancell, 24, deliberately drove at the victim, ramming him through a garden fence in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, in July last year.
After the boy was knocked down, Charlie Clark, 24, stabbed him, while Aiden Barber, 22, and Ancell further assaulted the injured victim as he lay on the ground.
Sentencing
At Lewes Crown Court, Ancell received a seven-year prison sentence along with an extended three-year licence period due to the dangerous nature of his actions.
Clark was sentenced to seven years in prison, and Barber received a sentence of six years and three months.
Police Response and Investigation
Following the attack, the three men fled the scene when confronted by members of the public, according to Sussex Police.
Authorities traced the Vauxhall Corsa involved in the incident, leading to the identification, arrest, and charging of the suspects with causing grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article in public.
All three men admitted to the offences in court.
Official Statements
Ch Insp Steve Turner said the violence shown by Ancell, of Sayers Common, Clark, of Hurstpierpoint, and Barber, of Burgess Hill, was "appalling", adding: "There is simply no excuse for the violence they inflicted on the victim."
"By using a vehicle as a weapon, Ancell put the life of the victim in danger, and other road users in the area," Turner said.
"They then continued by stabbing and seriously assaulting the seriously injured victim on the ground in a cowardly attack.
"They are now learning the consequences and will be serving significant custodial sentences."
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