Men jailed after stabbing stranger they befriended

Francis Moynagh (left) and Colin Jeffers have both been jailed

Two men who befriended a man and took him to a pub before stabbing him have been jailed.

Colin Jeffers, 37, and Francis Moynagh, 23, admitted assaulting the man, a pub manager and a customer in Rushden, Northamptonshire.

Moynagh, of no fixed address, was jailed for six years and 11 months. Jeffers, of Stamford Street, Kettering, was sentenced to four years and three months.

Northamptonshire Police described the attack as "particularly brutal and entirely senseless".

Northampton Crown Court heard the two men were in Rushden on 13 January when they approached a man walking his dog on a footpath behind a supermarket.

They invited the man to the Railway Inn, in Rushden High Street, at around 22:30 GMT.

While Jeffers stayed outside with the victim's dog, Moynagh and the stranger went in, the court was told.

The manager refused to serve them and Moynagh became angry, kicking the door as he left.

He returned with Jeffers and argued with the manager before punching her in the face and then attacking a male customer who had stepped in to help her, the court heard.

All three men left the pub and Jeffers became aggressive towards the victim.

The court heard how Jeffers then produced a knife and tried to stab the victim in the head, before handing the weapon to Moynagh, who stabbed the man in the abdomen. Both offenders then ran off.

The two men took their victim into the Railway Inn, in Rushden High Street

At Northampton Crown Court on 16 August, Moynagh pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, possessing a knife and two counts of common assault.

Jeffers admitted causing grievous bodily harm without intent, possessing a knife and threatening a person with an offensive weapon.

'Entirely senseless'

Lead investigator, Det Con Vicky Wiley, said: “This was a particularly brutal and entirely senseless act of violence by two men on a man they had only just met.

"This attack could easily have had fatal consequences but thankfully, on this occasion, the victim is continuing with his recovery.

“Such violence will not be tolerated in Northamptonshire and anyone carrying a knife in our county should expect to be dealt with robustly, and I am pleased that this stance has been reflected in the custodial sentence that both Moynagh and Jeffers received.”