Court told of Bristol stab victim's Halloween horror

A man who was repeatedly stabbed while walking to a Halloween party was the victim of "gang warfare", a court heard.

Justin Hewitt suffered life-threatening injuries after being knifed in the chest, arm and thigh by Wayne Sheppard on Harewood Road in Speedwell.

Yesterday, Sheppard, 21, pleaded guilty at Bristol Crown Court to a charge of wounding following the attack.

Two further charges of attempted murder and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm will remain on court files.

The court heard that in the early hours of November 1, 2008, Hewitt – who is in prison for attempting to run over a police officer – had been drinking in a pub with his girlfriend and left to walk to a friend's house for a party.

Prosecuting, James Ward said: "On the way a car stopped and some people got out, one of whom was Sheppard. An altercation began, and Ross Vinnicombe tried to hit Justin Hewitt. The victim went to hit him in return, which then led to Wayne Sheppard producing a knife and stabbing Mr Hewitt."

Sheppard, who was drunk and high on drugs, plunged the blade twice into his chest, twice into his thigh and once into his arm.

Hewitt went to the friend's house and an ambulance was called.

But when police were called to the hospital where he was being treated, he refused to talk to them, saying he did not want them involved.

He eventually did, and picked Mr Vinnicombe out of an identity parade, though he said he did not know who had stabbed him.

Another witness who said Sheppard had left the party around the time Hewitt was stabbed did not want her statement used for fear of repercussions, but later told police he carried around an orange-handled knife with him.

A knife matching this description was found in three parts at the scene, and it was found to have Sheppard's DNA on it and the victim's blood on the blade.

Phone records revealed Sheppard had sent a text message to a friend at 3.10am that morning that said "I done it again", the inference, Mr Ward said, being that he had stabbed Hewitt.

Sheppard later told police that he did not cause the injuries to Hewitt and that he did not know who he was, but that he had been to the party and then gone home.

A friend of Sheppard's, Roxanne Porter, said to police that he had told her he had stabbed Hewitt, but she refused to testify.

Mr Ward said Sheppard had used the knife to protect himself and deter Hewitt from coming towards him, and there was no evidence to contradict that.

He said: "The background to this case is not straightforward, where two people appear out of nowhere and it takes place.

"It is a background of what the police would describe as gang warfare.

"It may well have been that Sheppard was fearful of what Justin Hewitt would do."

Defending, Robert Duval said that his client could not remember how the injuries were caused.

Sheppard was bailed to an address in Derwent Road, Speedwell, and will be sentenced later this month.

He also faces another charge of supplying class A drugs after police found a number of bags of cocaine at his address.