James Pedley, 40, ‘went about trying to save his own skin’ following the gruesome street attack

James Pedley has been jailed(Image: Nottinghamshire Police)

A 40-year-old drug user who stabbed a man four times to the neck and left him for dead has been jailed for 14 years.

Footage played at Nottingham Crown Court showed victim Mark Bonser lying in a pool of blood after being attacked in the street by James Pedley.

The defendant then left the scene and “went about trying to save his own skin” by destroying evidence.

Following a two-day trial a jury took almost two days to unanimously clear Pedley, of Elder Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield, of attempted murder.

But instead, they convicted him of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon.

Sentencing him, Judge James Sampson said: “Having heard the evidence at trial, I am sure of a number of things.

“Firstly, you were out that day to buy class A drugs and Mr Bonser rode past you and you shouted ‘woah’ to stop him.

“I am not sure why you wanted to stop him, but I have no doubt you did not like him and were hostile towards him.

“You were then the aggressor, but that did not stop him and he said ‘come on then’ and there was then a fight.

(Image: Reach PLC)

“But it was an unfair fight because you produced a knife from your pocket and proceeded to stab him.

“You stabbed him twice to the stomach and four times to the neck, severing his jugular and breaking his jaw in the process.

“You came out of this completely uninjured, left the scene and tried to destroy evidence.

“You knew you had stabbed him, but you just went about trying to save your own skin.”

The trial heard how officers were called to reports of a man injured in Kensington Close, Sutton-in-Ashfield, on the afternoon of October 11, last year.

On it, Pedley and Mr Bonser are seen exchanging blows as the defendant repeatedly stabs the victim before walking away from the scene folding up the knife, placing it into a pocket and putting up the hood of his blood-stained jacket.

Gruesome bodyworn footage then showed the victim lying covered in blood on the ground.

After the incident, Pedley then went to a friend’s house where he was arrested when he was found hiding in a loft after armed police surrounded it.

The victim had to be taken to the Queen’s Medical Centre for emergency treatment having also suffered a fractured jaw and spine.

James Varley, prosecuting, read out a statement made by Dr Stuart Hamilton, a Home Office pathologist who examined Mr Bonsor’s injuries.

In it, he said: “The injury to the jugular vein was the most serious and led to rapid haemorrhage, which was life-threatening had it not been treated.

“He had suffered a cardiac arrest at the scene, most likely as a result of the stab wounds.

“Without medical intervention, it is likely he would have died at the scene.”

Mr Varley said two days after the stabbing, police were called to an address in Dalestorth Street, where 33-year-old Kurt Horton lived having received information that his friend, the accused, was there.

Horton and Tracey Hoff, 37, of no fixed address, have pleaded guilty to assisting an offender in relation to the incident and will be sentenced on May 22.