Family holiday turned to horror when knife-wielding Knottingley man burst into caravan near Scarborough

The family’s peaceful break at The Snooty Fox holiday park in the Malton countryside was shattered when 55-year-old Christopher Wilson, wielding a knife, suddenly unzipped the door between the caravan and the outside awning, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Ayman Khokar said the two women were sat in the caravan when “the door to the awning was unzipped and a male figure emerged”.

He immediately began shouting, ‘Where is he?’”.

The women immediately recognised the knifeman and begged him to leave.

One of them, Wilson’s former long-term partner, pushed him back outside as her new partner, who was named in court, came out of the toilet.

“He saw that the defendant had a knife in his hand and took him in a bear hug,” said Mr Khokar.

But then Wilson held the knife to the man’s throat, at which point the victim pushed him backwards, causing both men to fall to the ground in the awning area.

“The defendant began swinging the knife towards (the victim),” added Mr Khokar.

The victim managed to fend him off and, fearing he was about to be stabbed, grabbed hold of the blade, causing a deep cut to his right hand which was “pouring with blood”.

One of the women had called the emergency services during the scuffle and an ambulance arrived.

The victim was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary for surgery to repair nerve damage to his hand.

His injuries were described as “gory”.

Police arrested Wilson about an hour after the attack on February 12, which occurred at the caravan park on Scarborough Road, East Heslerton, at about 10.30am.

He was taken in for questioning, refused to answer police questions and released on bail.

Six days later, he rang his ex-partner, who had witnessed the terrifying scenes, and told her he was planning to “provide a false account to police (about what happened)”.

“He asserted he had not brought a knife with him to the field,” said Mr Khokar.

Wilson, of Broomhill Avenue, Knottingley, was arrested again, this time on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

In his second police interview, Wilson admitted he was at the scene of the attack but denied inflicting the wound to the victim.

However, he ultimately admitted causing grievous bodily harm without intent, carrying a blade and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

He appeared for sentence on October 9 after being remanded in custody.

The court heard that the two women inside the caravan were a mother and daughter.

There was also a very young child inside the holiday home.

Wilson had nine previous offences on his record including “several for similar offences”.

Defence barrister Ayesha Smart said that Wilson had been remanded in custody for over seven months, the equivalent of a 15-month jail sentence, and urged judge Sean Morris to release him immediately on a “time-served” basis and because he was in extremely poor health.

But Mr Morris, the Recorder of York, told Wilson: “You’ve got to understand that carrying knives means prison.

“You’ll be reading in newspapers when you are in prison (about) all the youths around the country dying because people carry knives.

“This struggle in the caravan, if a knife had gone through the chest instead of the hand, you’d be up for murder.”

However, he acknowledged that Wilson was in very poor health and that he had hitherto been out of trouble for a long time.

Wilson received a 15-month jail sentence but because of the time he had already served on remand, it mean he would spend little, if any, further time behind bars.

He was also given a five-year restraining order for the protection of the victims.