Machete attack man guilty of attempted murder

Binnings will be sentenced next month

A man has been found guilty of attempting to murder a teenage boy with a machete in a city centre McDonald's.

Joel Binnings, of Fishponds, Bristol, admitted causing his victim grievous bodily harm after stabbing him multiple times at the restaurant on The Horsefair on 8 February - but denied trying to kill him.

However, a jury at Bristol Crown Court found him guilty of attempted murder on Thursday.

Det Insp Hannah Marsh said: “The ferocity of the attack carried out by Binnings was such that his victim is very lucky to be alive."

Binnings, 20, was remanded into custody after the verdict, which came at the end of a four-day trial, ahead of a sentencing hearing at Bristol Crown Court on 11 October.

Jurors were shown CCTV of the incident, and heard from witnesses who were in the restaurant at the time.

Binnings fled the area after the attack, and was arrested a few days later.

'Witnesses were traumatised'

The victim, who was 16 years old at the time, was taken to hospital where he spent nearly four months receiving treatment – two months of which were in intensive care.

He continues to recover from his injuries, some of which are life-changing.

Several members of the public went to his victim’s aid, including an off-duty nurse, before emergency services arrived.

The incident happened inside the McDonalds restaurant in Cabot Circus

Det Insp Hannah Marsh, the senior investigating officer, said: “This was a horrendous attack on a teenage boy by another young man using a large knife in a very public place.

“Families and children were inside McDonald's at the time of the incident and were traumatised by what they witnessed.

“The ferocity of the attack carried out by Binnings was such that his victim is very lucky to be alive.

“The evidence provided to the court makes clear the impact the incident has had on him and lays bear the serious consequences of knife crime.

“The material we gathered which was presented to the jury left them with no doubt that Binnings meant to kill his victim, and he now rightly can expect to spend a significant time behind bars.”

She added: “They [the public] not only comforted him and provided him with reassurance, they saved his life and their humanity and public spiritedness deserves to be recognised.”