Villa fan stabbed 18 times after Europa League parade

A man who stabbed an Aston Villa supporter as many as 18 times on the night of the club's Europa League victory parade has been jailed for four and a half years.

Bobby Edmundson, 52, admitted wounding with intent and possessing a knife in public. He was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday.

A night of celebration

Orran Moseley-Bench had been out in the city centre on 21 May, enjoying the bus parade to celebrate Villa winning the UEFA Europa League. After drinking in the city centre and meeting a friend in a pub, he went back to a house in multiple occupation on Teignmouth Road, Selly Oak, where Edmundson lived with several women.

The prosecutor, Diane Mundill, told the court that Mr Moseley-Bench fell asleep, and the residents later wanted him to leave. She said he became aggressive and squared up to Edmundson after being woken. The two men had words outside before Edmundson went back in and shut the door.

Caught on camera

The court was shown mobile phone footage, filmed by one of the residents, of the fight that followed in the road.

"Each time the defendant's hand is seen to go towards the complainant he has a knife in his hand. He is stabbing the complainant," Ms Mundill said. "Members of the public came to his aid as he collapsed to the floor. I have calculated 18 stab wounds."

Mr Moseley-Bench needed surgery and spent several days in hospital. In a statement he said his scars were a "permanent reminder of what happened", and that he now felt anxious and paranoid and no longer safe, especially when he was outside with people around him.

The defence

Sharon Bailey, defending, said Edmundson had wanted to help his housemates get Mr Moseley-Bench to leave, and had taken the knife out hoping to scare him. She said drink had affected his judgement, and that he had made good use of his time on remand and found a job.

"You are lucky"

Recorder David Lock accepted that Edmundson had at first been "acting as a good neighbour" for his housemates.

"But when the victim didn't leave the house you went out with a knife and you say to scare him away but then engaged in a fight with him," he said. "He was clearly vulnerable because he was very drunk, you had also been drinking, and you stabbed him a large number of times."

"It wasn't just one or two wounds, this was a prolonged period and you stabbed him between 13 to 18 times. Frankly, you are lucky he didn't end up deceased or with life-changing injuries."

Carrying a knife in public without good reason is an offence in itself, carrying up to four years in prison, and the courts treat any use of one as a serious aggravating factor. Knife crime charities warn that people who carry a blade "for protection" or to frighten someone are far more likely to end up using it, or having it used against them.