A Hucknall man who stabbed a 27 year old stranger outside a pub in Kirkby in Ashfield has been jailed for eight years. Tyrone James, aged 41, of Balmoral Grove in Hucknall, attacked Caleb Yemm outside the Nags Head pub in Station Street just before 1.00 am on Sunday 22 October 2023.
Yemm underwent emergency surgery and sustained life changing injuries after being stabbed multiple times in his torso and back. Moments earlier, James had punched another stranger.
Police say that James had been drinking at various pubs in Kirkby on the Saturday night and was heard making threats to several people. He left the final pub shortly after midnight and drove to his home in Hucknall. He changed his clothes and returned to Kirkby 35 minutes later.
He punched a man in Station Street before launching what police described as “a sustained attack” on Yemm on the steps of the Nags Head.
A “meticulous investigation” followed in which police used automatic number plate recognition technology, accessed mobile phone records to track its location when the attack took place, and trawled through hours of CCTV footage.
CCTV footage showed James getting out of his car and putting a knife in his waistband. It also showed him walking away from the scene before running back to his car and driving away.
He was charged with attempted murder days after the attack, but in January he pleaded guilty to committing grievous bodily harm with intent, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and assault by beating.
On Friday, Judge William Harbage at Leicester Crown Court sentenced James to eight years in prison, describing the attack as a “deliberate premeditated stabbing”.
After the sentencing hearing, Detective Inspector James Oakton of Nottinghamshire Police said: “This was a savage attack committed in front of a number of onlookers who were spilling out of a town centre pub.
“It appears James had an argument earlier in the evening before driving home. He had plenty of time to think about what to do next. He chose to change his clothes and return with a knife and his face covered. He then punched one man before launching a sustained attack with the weapon on a second victim.
“The decisions James made that night have directly led to a victim suffering life-altering injuries and himself ending up behind bars.
“As a force we have said repeatedly that the decision to leave home with a knife can ultimately lead to devastating consequences for the knife carrier and others. “Our officers continue to work hard investigating knife crime as a key force priority, putting offenders before the courts and educating people about the dangers of carrying them.”
