Men jailed for ‘nightmare’ heated knife attack

Four men have been jailed for their role in an attack that left a man with life-changing injuries.

The victim was found by binmen in a field in Broughshane, in County Antrim, in October 2021 wearing only his underwear.

The four men pleaded guilty to charges including kidnapping, wounding, and arson at Laganside Crown Court on Thursday.

The court heard how the men laughed while the victim begged for his life after being stabbed with a heated knife.

The judge said that the background of the case was a dispute involving the supply of cocaine.

As he imposed the terms the judge said the attack "displayed a degree of viciousness and callousness which fortunately is rarely seen".

The victim was told to go to a flat in Ballymena where he was beaten.

The court was told that a knife was heated over a gas hob before he was stabbed in the chest and sliced across his face. The knife was also placed in his mouth.

The injured man was told clean up his own blood before he was put into the boot of a car and dumped in a field.

Mark Bradshaw, 53, of Skye Park, Ballymena, in County Antrim, who previously pleaded guilty to kidnapping, was jailed for five and a half years.

David Cherry, 41, whose address was given as HMP Maghaberry previously pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm and kidnapping. He was sentenced to five years and two months.

Sean Davies, 41 of Queens Park, Saintfield, in County Down, pleaded guilty to arson and was sentenced to two years and four months.

Glenn Allen Sheridan, 45, of Florence Walk in Belfast pleaded guilty to kidnapping.

He was sentenced to four years and nine months.

All the sentences were divided equally between prison and licence.

A fifth defendant, who had previously pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent and kidnapping, is due to be sentenced in June.

During the sentencing, a lengthy list of the victim's injuries was read to the court.

It included a chest stab wound, a fractured skull and jaw, as well as face and mouth injuries.

The man now has permanent damage to his facial nerves, permanent blocking of a main artery to the brain, and a permanent brain injury.

A victim impact statement was read to the court which outlined the “life-changing injuries” he suffered as a result of the “vicious” attack.

The County Down man said it had been a "vicious assault".

He said he was left with life-changing injuries, including "severe scarring" to his face and "irreparable" damage to his brain.

"In the wake of this senseless act of violence, my life has become a relentless cycle of pain and uncertainty," he said.

"Each day is battle against despair," he added.

Speaking after the sentencing, Det Insp McCoy of the Police Service of Northern Ireland said it was “one of the most violent, sickening and sadistic attacks I have ever investigated”.

“The victim was subjected to a prolonged assault. He was severely beaten, forced to strip down to his boxer shorts, and made to use his clothes to clean up his own blood.

“The victim was on the floor and unable to defend himself when he was stabbed in the chest with a knife, then slashed on both sides of the face," he said.

"Throughout the nightmarish attack, the victim was kicked, while continually forced to wipe up the blood. Meanwhile, the defendants laughed."

Det Insp McCoy said that the "barbaric and senseless attack has left lasting scars, both emotional and physical".

"The victim, and indeed his family, have suffered unimaginably,” he added.