A man who stabbed two people at a Leicestershire forecourt has been given a hybrid order under the Mental Health Act.
This means he will receive treatment in hospital then he will be moved to prison. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.
The attack happened at around 11.25pm on November 3 last year.
Police were called to the BP Service Station on St Thomas Road in South Wigston after two men suffered stab wounds. The victims had driven onto the forecourt to purchase items from the shop. As they approached the shop, they spoke to 20-year-old Ellis Coulson who was already at the kiosk.
Coulson was then seen taking a knife out of his pocket and hiding it behind his back, while he continued to talk to the victims.
Coulson then stabbed one of the victims in the neck before attacking the second victim, again stabbing him in the neck.
Both victims left the scene and drove to hospital, where they were treated for their injuries before being discharged.
After extensive enquiries, a local officer was able to identify Coulson from the CCTV footage and attempts were made to find him. Coulson eventually handed himself into police about two weeks later.
He was subsequently charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a knife in a public place.
In September, Coulson was due to stand trial but pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial. He pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article in a public place and two counts of Section 18 wounding with intent.
Last week he was given a hybrid order under section 45A of the Mental Health Act.
The sentence also includes three unrelated offences - for burglary he was jailed for 18 months, for criminal damage he was jailed for two months and for vehicle interference he was jailed for two months – these sentences are to run concurrently.
Detective Constable Owen Bird says: “Coulson’s actions that evening made it clear that he was in a possession of a knife, and he intended to use it. This incident could have quite easily led to life-changing injuries or even the loss of life.
“We are pleased he pleaded guilty to the offences, and we hope this admission of guilt reassures the victims and those who witnessed this vicious attack that justice has been done.”
