Teenagers jailed after boy attacked with machete and knife in underpass

The victim suffered significant facial injuries

Two teenagers, including one who was carrying a machete, have been jailed after another teenager was stabbed. The 17-year-old boys, from Huntingdon and Peterborough, attacked the victim, who was also 17, with a knife and machete along an underpass in Cowgate, Peterborough, on January 8.

The teenagers swung the blades towards the boy’s head, leaving him with significant facial injuries, including a wound to his chin. The boy managed to get away and receive medical attention, while the attackers fled the scene.

However, the offenders, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were soon identified and arrested. Police later found out the attacker from Peterborough had been involved in an altercation with the victim in the city centre three days before.

On the day of the attack, they were seen on CCTV meeting and shaking hands in the moment leading up to it. Both attackers admitted wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article in a public place.

On Friday (May 22), the two boys appeared in Cambridge Crown Court. The boy from Peterborough was jailed for 40 months, having also pleaded guilty to affray and an additional count of possession of a bladed article relating to the first incident. The boy from Huntingdon was sentenced to 35 months in prison.

DC Andrew Holland said: “It was sheer luck that this incident didn’t result in a fatality. The two boys swung their weapons towards the victim’s head and throat, with a matter of inches being the difference between a nasty facial injury and hitting a vital artery. I’m pleased they were swiftly identified, arrested and have now been jailed for their actions.

“Both locally, and nationally, we have seen the tragic consequences of knife crime and tackling it is a priority.”