Croydon 'zombie knife': Sentence referred to Attorney General

The "lenient" sentence of man convicted of smashing a car window with a large knife while the driver was inside has been referred to the Attorney General.

Joshua Gardner, 18, was filmed using the "zombie knife" to smash into the car in Croydon, south London, in May.

He was convicted of three charges and given a two-year suspended sentence at the Old Bailey on Tuesday.

The Attorney General's Office confirmed it had since received a referral for an "unduly lenient" sentence.

Gardner, from London Road, Thornton Heath, was found guilty of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and had previously admitted affray and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

On 30 May, a 19-year-old man was sitting in a car on London Road when Gardner pulled up alongside him on a bike, the Met Police said.

The man tried to drive off and almost made contact with Gardner's bike which led to him to attack the car and smash the passenger window with the large knife.

Footage then showed the driver running away.

Gardner gave a "no comment" interview following his arrest

Gardner was identified and arrested after the dashcam footage of the incident went viral on social media.

After his arrest he gave a "no comment interview", the Met said.

Judge Anuja Dhir QC sentenced him to a total of two years in prison for the GBH offence to run concurrently with 12 months in jail for the each of the knife and affray offences, suspended for two years.

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He was also given a nine-month curfew and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

Met Police Supt Roy Smith said Gardner's sentence was "not a deterrent".

The Attorney General's office said it would review the case and make a decision within 28 days.

If deemed too low it would be referred to the Court of Appeal.