A 54-year-old roadie with a band, who repeatedly lunged at a man with a knife and sprayed a CS gas canister at him in a “vicious” attack at a caravan park, has been jailed for 28 months.
The man suffered slash wounds and scratches to his face, right shoulder, chest and back during the attack by David Dorries at the North Denes Caravan Park in Lowestoft in April, Ipswich Crown Court heard.
At one stage during the assault the victim picked up Dorries’ dog to protect himself from the knife attack and took off his coat to protect himself from the CS spray.
Sasha Bailey, prosecuting, said that as Dorries tried to stab the man’s neck the blade of the knife had broken off but the attack continued.
On September 3, the court heard the victim suffered an injury to his forehead and four other wounds to his face as well as injuries to other parts of his body which were treated by paramedics at the scene.
Three days before the attack, Dorries had taken exception to the man, who he didn’t know, as he walked close to his caravan, the court heard.
On April 17, Dorries, who has cataracts, was walking his dog and looked at the victim who asked him what he was looking at.
Dorries then pulled out a knife and CS spray from his pocket and started to attack him, said Miss Bailey.
Dorries, of no fixed address, admitted unlawfully wounding the man, two offences of possessing a knife and possessing CS gas spray which is a prohibited weapon.
Jailing him, Judge Emma Peters described the attack on the man as “vicious”.
She said: “It’s clear you struck a number of blows with a knife after you emptied the CS spray in his direction.”
The judge said Dorries was a roadie for a band and had been at his caravan at the time of the offences because his travel plans with the group had been thwarted by lockdown.
John Morgans, mitigating, said his client was remorseful, saying: “He is appalled that by his actions another human being has been harmed. He feels nothing but shame for what he has done.”
He said Dorries had carried the knives and the CS spray as a result of bad feeling between him and another family on the park.
Mr Morgans accepted that the victim had nothing to do with the difficulties Dorries had been experiencing.
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