North Shields torturers jailed over 'inhuman' attack

Jon Hamblin and Jessica Whinham were jailed after being found guilty of attempted murder

Two people who carried out an "inhuman" attack on a man who thought they were his friends have been jailed.

Jon Hamblin and Jessica Whinham from North Shields targeted their 35-year-old victim as he slept on a sofa.

He woke up to find he had been stabbed and later had to beg for his life before they set him free, police said.

Hamblin, 43, was jailed for 29 years, and Whinham, 21, locked up for 21 years after being found guilty of attempted murder at Newca.stle Crown Court

The attack happened inside Whinham's Stanley Street West home during the early hours of 11 September 2021.

'Last song you'll hear'

Their victim was woken abruptly to find himself lying on the floor with Hamblin standing over him, Northumbria Police said, and it was at this point he realised he had a deep stab wound.

He reported that Whinham put on some music, deliberately playing a song he had previously told her he disliked, telling him it was "the last song you'll ever hear".

When the man managed to leave, he stumbled out of the house and tried knocking on nearby doors before he was rescued by a couple.

Hamblin, of Stirling Drive, and Whinham, of Saville Street, were found guilty of attempted murder by a jury following a trial last April and were back in court to be sentenced.

Both were told they must serve at least two-thirds of their sentences.

They have also been handed indefinite restraining orders which prevent them from ever contacting their victim.

'Monstrous attack'

Det Insp Jill Hall, from Northumbria Police, described the duo as a "gruesome pair" and thanked their victim for his bravery.

"Hamblin and Whinham's treatment of their victim was inhuman - it was a monstrous attack against a man who believed he was in the company of friends," she said.

"No sentence will ever take away the pain of what's happened, but I hope knowing his attackers will be locked up for years to come will give him some comfort.

"Thank you also to the couple who took in the victim in his hour of need and assisted him until paramedics arrived - your kindness, bravery and resilience proves that there are still plenty of selfless, kind people in our region."