Sheffield stabbing victims criticise sentence
- Published
Jake Lee (l) and Leon Cheslett (r) said the sentence would not deter others from carrying knives
Two men who were knifed in a takeaway have said their attacker's sentence is "an invitation to crime".
Zak Pywell, 23, of Hackenthorpe, stabbed the men in Sheffield in November 2016.
He admitted two counts of section 20 wounding, possession of a bladed article and affray and was jailed for four years and three months in January.
His victims Jake Lee, 26, and Leon Cheslett, 20, said the sentence would not deter others from carrying knives.
"He is not going to serve four years three months," Mr Lee, from Chesterfield, said.
"If he keeps his head down he will be out in two.
"There's no rehabilitation. I mean [a sentence] of just over two years served is an invitation for crime."
Mr Lee had gone into the takeaway, on the corner of Division Street and Carver Street, not realising a fight had broken out.
"I was punched and knocked to the floor. The next thing I remember is one of my friends dragging me up and a few people shouting I'd been stabbed."
Pywell fled the shop but ran into Mr Cheslett who was waiting for a taxi.
Leon Cheslett was stabbed four times in the attack and was left with a 5.5 inch (14 cm) facial scar
Zak Pywell pleaded guilty and was jailed in January
The Sheffield Hallam student was stabbed in the face, shoulder, forearm and stomach.
"All I remember is lying on the floor and thinking 'that is a lot of blood'," he said.
Both men said the attack had a significant impact.
"I had 37 stitches on my face so I was not exactly rushing to go out," Mr Cheslett said.
Mr Lee, an ambulance medic, had four months off work.
"You look at people differently," he said. "You do not expect people to be carrying knives on a night out."
Their comments came as South Yorkshire Police participates in a national operation, external against knife crime.
The force said it would remind people of the serious consequences carrying a "potentially lethal" weapon can have.