Bristol man jailed for machete attack outside shop

Kaleb Lewis, 26, of St Paul's, Bristol, was found guilty of wounding with intent and being in possession of a bladed article

A man has been jailed after he attacked a man outside a shop with a machete.

Kaleb Lewis, 26, of St Pauls, Bristol, was found guilty of wounding with intent and being in possession of a bladed article after the incident in Stapleton Road on 25 August.

The victim sustained three wounds to his wrist, shoulder and face and required hospital treatment for his injuries.

Lewis was sentenced to eight years at Bristol Crown Court on Monday.

Avon and Somerset Police said he was sentenced to eight years for the wounding charge, with the judge also sentencing him to 18 months for carrying a bladed article. The two sentences will run alongside one another.

Sword-style machete

The court was told how Lewis approached the man, who was in his 30s, before drawing a sword-style machete and attacking the victim during an altercation.

He was arrested two days later and attempted to hide the weapon, while also denying being at the scene.

Twenty-year-old Lemar Douglas, from Horfield, who was also arrested in connection with the incident, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender by hiding clothing after the offence.

He is due to be sentenced at a later date.

Sentencing Lewis, Judge Pakrooh expressed the "real danger" of carrying a knife.

He said: "Whether you want it to or not, what you carry on your person becomes a lens through which you view the world."

'Important message'

"When you struck [the victim], you did so with the intention of causing very serious harm. I find the weapon is so dangerous that it is a matter of good fortune that the victim was not even more gravely injured," he added.

Investigating officer, DC Jamie Evans, said: "Knife crime is a serious problem which heavily impacts our communities. We have seen the impact that carrying a knife can have on people, with too many people losing their life or being seriously harmed by someone carrying a knife."

"I hope this sentence sends an important message to anyone thinking of carrying a knife what the repercussions of their actions could be," he added.

The force said it had launched a new operation dedicated to tackling and disrupting serious violence and knife crime involving young people.

Run across the force area, the operation will include targeted searches, working with partner agencies and operations such as the Violence Reduction Partnership and Operation Sceptre, the nationwide police campaign to tackle knife crime.

Meanwhile, anyone who is concerned or worried about someone who may be involved or at risk of serious violence and knife crime is asked to contact police or Crimestoppers anonymously.