Men jailed for violent attack on stranger

Two men have been jailed for a violent attack on a stranger in a town centre that lasted seconds.

Tommy Rowe, 40, and Gerald Gribbin, 53, carried out a "senseless act of violence" after they targeted a man in Horse Market, Kettering, at about 02:00 BST on 17 July, Northamptonshire Police said.

The victim, a man in his 40s, was stabbed in the cheek with a knife and was punched, kicked, placed in a headlock and needed hospital treatment.

Rowe, of Kingwell Avenue in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, was jailed for seven years and six months and Gribbin, of Station Road, Kettering, was sentenced to seven years and two months at Northampton Crown Court on 13 March.

Rowe pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm (GBH), attempted robbery and possession of a knife blade/sharp pointed article in a public place.

He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £228.

Gribbin denied a GBH charge, which will remain on file, but admitted the attempted robbery and possession of a knife blade/sharp pointed article in a public place.

The force said the men were caught on CCTV searching a man's pockets during the attack.

"The incident, which lasted mere seconds, left the man in his 40s requiring hospital treatment for his injuries," it said.

Officers arrived at the scene and arrested both men in nearby Market Square.

Det Con Anna Orton said: "This was an entirely senseless act of violence by two men on a stranger, which could easily have resulted in a murder investigation.

"Such violence will not be tolerated in our towns."

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