Dangerous thug who slashed man in the stomach jailed for eight years

A violent thug who slashed a man in the stomach a birthday party at a house in Morley has been jailed for eight years.
Jake TelfordJake Telford
Jake Telford

Police described Jake Telford as a “danger to the community” after a court heard he was also responsible two other nasty unprovoked street attack on two other victims.

Jake Telford, of Lowood Lane, Birstall attacked a 20-year-old victim man when tensions flared after an uninvited group of men turned up at the house in Albert Road, Morley, in July last year.

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In the early hours of the morning a man who had been annoying other guests left the party but then returned with a group of other men.

They hung around in the kitchen and hallway before being asked to leave by the woman whose party it was.

The men left the house but stayed in the street and began to shout. A guest approached them and asked them to stop but the group attacked him.

When the victim went to his aid he suddenly realised he was bleeding and heard his girlfriend shouting “he’s been stabbed”.

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When she challenged, 20-year-old Telford and knocked a brick he had picked up out of his hand, he spat in her face and ran off.

Police and paramedics arrived at the scene a short time later to find the group of men had run off.

The victim was taken to hospital by ambulance and kept in for treatment to a serious wound to the left side of his torso that required stitches.

Detectives spoke to a number of witnesses and Telford was identified as the offender. Witnesses reported seeing him fighting with the victim and moving his arm in a slashing motion.

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Telford was arrested and interviewed but denied being anywhere near Morley that night. He refused to take part in police identification procedures claiming people would have seen his picture on Facebook and often wrongly linked his name to assaults.

Witnesses later picked him out on video identification parades but he continued to deny being involved.

While he was on bail, police traced a number of further witnesses who reported seeing Telford fighting with the victim and holding a Stanley knife in his hand. They were also able to pick him out in identification procedures.

Telford was found guilty of wounding intent after a trial at Leeds Crown Court

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He had earlier admitted a separate assault on a 21-year-old man in Market Place, Birstall, in December last year and was found guilty at his trial of assaulting a 20-year-old man with a shovel in Cambridge Road, Birstall, in June last year.

Detective Inspector John Dexter, of Leeds District CID, said: “Telford was prepared to carry and use a knife to attack the victim without any provocation after he and his associates turned up at the party as uninvited guests. The consequences of his actions could easily have been much worse.

“He is clearly someone whose repeated violent behaviour presents a real danger to the community and we are pleased that he has now been brought to justice.

“We hope the significant sentence he has received will provide some level of reassurance to his victims and to the wider community and also serve as a reminder to others of the serious penalties that violent offences such as these will attract.”

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