Police have praised a team of heroic paramedics after they saved the life of a stab victim who was only a matter of minutes from death.
Northumbria Police were called to a flat in South Shields just two days before Christmas last year (2019) after a man had been savagely beaten and stabbed.
Furious ‘thug’ Michael Wilson almost killed his victim following accusations that he had made advances towards his girlfriend.
In a fit of rage, the 30-year-old inflicted three knife wounds and rained down punches – before kicking the man down a flight of concrete stairs.
Now, after Wilson was last week jailed for nine years, police have praised the dedicated ambulance staff who carried out an emergency thoracotomy close to the scene – which kept the victim alive.
‘He would have died…had it not been for the paramedics at the scene’
Detective Sergeant Aidan Hall, of Northumbria Police, said:
“There is little doubt that the victim of this horrific attack would have died had it not been for the outstanding actions of paramedics at the scene.
“We are proud to work hand-in-hand with all our blue light partners, and this was an example of us all working together to not only ensure the victim survived, but ensure the person responsible is put behind bars.
“Michael Wilson is a dangerous individual who could so quickly have been faced with a potential murder charge.
“His victim had to have open-heart surgery and was hospitalised for a week.
“There is absolutely no place for violent criminals such as Wilson in our society, and he now begins a long period behind bars.
“This type of violence will not be tolerated and we will continue to use every tactic at our disposal to put criminals who endanger the lives of others before the courts.”
“In the event of a major trauma, such as a stabbing, every second counts”.
The court heard the two men fell into a dispute inside the Whiteleas Way flat following claims that the victim had made advances towards Wilson’s girlfriend.
Wilson then stabbed his victim three times, before forcefully pushing and kicking the injured man out of the address and into the street.
Paramedics carried out the life-saving procedure inside the ambulance – just yards from the scene – before taking the victim to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) for surgery.
Paul Liversidge, deputy chief executive at North East Ambulance Service (NEAS), said:
“In the event of a major trauma, such as a stabbing, every second counts.
“As well as being able to call upon specialist trauma skills within our own service, we work closely with Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) to ensure we’re able to provide an enhanced clinical service to those patients who require it.
“In this instance, we were able to request the additional clinical skills of our GNAAS colleagues, which meant that together we were able to perform this life-saving procedure before arriving at hospital.”
Upon arrest, Wilson claimed the victim “had tried to stab him”, and his injuries were caused as a result of the violent struggle that ensued.
Wilson, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent on the basis he used excessive self-defence when he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court last Tuesday (October 20).
He also admitted unrelated charges of shoplifting and affray.
A judge subsequently sentenced him to nine years behind bars.
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DS Aiden Hall is clearly easily pleased. Michael Wilson stabbed his victim three times, used him as a punch bag and then threw heim down a flight of concrete stairs. What a lucky fellow Wilson is. He nearly faced a charge of attempted murder. His victim came perilously close to dying and in any other country, he would have.
So what exactly constitutes attempted murder? Three stab wounds, a battering with fists and a traumatic descent down concrete steps clearly does not. Do not tell me. Wilson did not mean to nearly kill him, so that is alright then. Stab anybody once, never mind 3 times, is a serious assault and the victim nearly died. What would the charge have been had the victim died. Death my misadventure insofar as Wilson could claim that he did not intend to kill the victim? What complete nonsense. Stick a knife in someone once, never mind three times, is a clear and unambiguous case of wishing to inflict very serious injury. First of all, the weapon had to have been available, either on scene or carried there with malice aforethought. Secondly, successfully using it three times followed by a serious assault cannot possibly be explained away as lashing out. Normal people do not carry knives.
Then there is the issue of describing Wilson as a ‘thug’. Putting the word thug in inverted commas implies this description is not appropriate. Someone who behaves like this IS a thug, pure and simple. Anyway, he has been locked up for 9 years. Wow. He will be out for Easter 2025, aged 35, still in his prime and every bit as dangerous as ever.
A combination of woke senior officers, a feeble CPS and absurd sentencing guidelines means that criminals are protected and the innocent must live in fear.
This guy should have been locked up for at least 20 years and served every one of them. The high cost is often cited as a reason to avoid prison. One way of offsetting this cost would be to get felons on exercise bikes for 8 hours a day in three shifts feeding the national grid. While the power generated might be modest, nobody would enjoy it and few would be anxious to return.
Take a leaf out of Sheriff Arpaio’s book. Make life miserable with the motto ‘if you do not like it, see to it that you do not come back’.
It’s revolting