Teenager sentenced for stabbing woman 'multiple times' in East Sussex

Police said Thomas Waeling, 18, confronted the victim who was not known to him in a car park in front of the Summerfields Leisure Centre in Bohemia Road, Hastings.

Sussex Police said he stabbed her multiple times, including once through the chest, after he had earlier taken a knife from the kitchen of a friend's home.

Waeling later claimed he had to carry out the assault ‘to be taken seriously’, police added.

Sussex Police said the local woman suffered a punctured lung and other wounds, and had to be airlifted to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

He stood trial at Lewes Crown Court in November and was found guilty of attempted murder, and appeared for sentencing on Friday, January 26.

Sussex Police said Waeling, unemployed of Kenilworth Road, St Leonards, was sentenced to 13 years in custody, with an extended three years to be served on licence, taking the total sentence to 16 years.

Police said the sentence includes a nine month custodial sentence for possession of a knife in public, which will run concurrently.

The court was told how the incident happened at about 7.45pm on May 15 last year. Waeling was reportedly angry after an argument with his father earlier in the afternoon.

Police said Waeling left a property wearing a black hooded top and covering his face.

He later told a friend: “I'm going to stab someone, I'm in the mood. The first person I see I'm going to stab.”

Sussex Police said Waeling approached the woman and stabbed her, then ran from the scene.

Police said the victim, who was walking home from a supermarket, described how she felt lucky to be alive, and grateful that members of the public and paramedics found her. She felt that Waeling had brandished the knife to intimidate her and was laughing during the assault. Sussex Police added.

After the attack, police said Waeling abandoned the knife in a public toilet, changed his clothes, and asked a friend to burn the clothes he had been wearing.

Officers launched an investigation and widespread searches, and Waeling was arrested in Ramsgate on June 1.

Sussex Police said two other defendants were sentenced for perverting the course of justice in connection with the investigation.

Speaking after the case, district commander Chief Inspector Jayantha Mendis-Gunasekera said: “This was an isolated incident that we investigated as a top priority.

“We understand it will have caused concern for the community, and we were determined to catch Waeling and get justice for the victim in this case.

“I would like to thank the members of the public who provided first aid to the victim and all the witnesses who came forward to provide information to assist our investigation.

“Tackling knife crime is a force priority, and in Hastings we have carried out knife sweeps, visits to schools and colleges, checks on retailers to ensure they are not selling weapons to children, and operated knife amnesty bins to get these weapons off the streets.

“I would encourage anyone with concerns or information regarding knife crime to report online or via 101. In an emergency always dial 999.

“If you don’t want to speak to police then contact either Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.”

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Yates, force lead for knife crime and serious violence, said: “We have removed offensive weapons, harmful substances, and dangerous offenders from the streets of Sussex and will continue to do so 365 days a year.

“While seizing weapons is our ultimate goal, engaging with our communities and speaking with young people is key in diverting from criminality.

“Working with our partners, we can offer support and guidance to anyone concerned about knife crime – whether that’s for themselves or on behalf of someone else.”