Teenager, 18, who joined racist mob attacking victim with a screwdriver while high on ketamine is spared prison after judge hears he has applied to join the Army

A teen who joined a racist mob that attacked a antheral with a screwdriver has been spared situation aft the justice heard helium had applied to articulation the Army.

Harry Holcroft, 18, was precocious connected ketamine erstwhile helium joined Jack Mather and Dillon Smith, some aged 19, successful a 'revenge attack' connected Shantosh Surendra.

The trio chased Mr Surendra from the Duke of Cambridge pub successful St Helens municipality centre, adjacent Liverpool astatine astir 4.30am connected October 21 past year.

Once cornered they racially abused, punched, kicked and stamped connected Mr Surendra earlier stabbing him aggregate times with a screwdriver and puncturing 1 of his lungs. 

However, Holcroft was spared a condemnation of contiguous custody implicit the incidental aft Liverpool Crown Court heard helium had been 'taking important steps to improve' himself by applying to the Army. 

Gerry Baxter, prosecuting, described however Mr Surendra besides suffered galore stab wounds during the 'prolonged and persistent' attack, leaving him with a collapsed lung and 'blood dripping down his backmost and arms'. 

However, an probe was incapable to find which of the attackers had inflicted these injuries.

Mather, of Gerards Lane successful St Helens, and Smith, of Lakemoor Close successful the town, were said to person known Mr Surendra for astir 10 years earlier a falling retired during 2023. 

All 4 men had been drinking successful the pub connected the nighttime successful question erstwhile helium noticed the defendants 'giving him the broadside eye' earlier they followed him onto New Cross Street astatine closing time.

Mr Baxter said: 'Mr Surendra started to run, due to the fact that helium knew the 3 men wanted trouble. As helium ran, they ran aft him and chopped him off.

'One of them said they wanted to talk to him, but they started kicking and punching him. Mr Surendra saw Mather instrumentality thing from his waistband, a screwdriver oregon thing similar.

'Mr Surendra was stabbed to his backmost and his chest. The men were shouting 'p***' and 'n****r'.

'They knocked him to the level and continued to stab, footwear and stamp connected him.. They besides called him a nonce.

'When the onslaught stopped, Mr Surendra got to his feet and recovered the humor was dripping down his backmost and arms.

'He felt dizzy. Fortunately for him, helium was spotted by constabulary officers who were patrolling successful a constabulary car.'

A overgarment with Mr Surendra's humor connected it was aboriginal seized from Holcroft's location connected Lowfield Lane successful St Helens. 

All 3 defendants answered nary remark nether interrogation but for Smith who, erstwhile shown a CCTV representation of himself, Mather and Holcroft astatine a adjacent taxi rank, said: 'I americium conscionable telling you now, that picture, immoderate you were saying, got f*** all.

'I'm conscionable connected that representation going location truthful immoderate you privation to effort and bash with that, you can. But that's it.'

Carmel Wilde, defending Holcroft, told the tribunal today, Monday: 'The suspect is inactive a young man. He was antecedently of bully character.

'It is simply a associated endeavor case, and each 3 were progressive successful this shocking attack. He wants to apologise to the complainant.

'He is disgusted with himself and has said that Mr Surendra could person died.. There seems to person been immoderate misplaced loyalty to his older associates.

'He is simply a alternatively mild mannered young man. He has foolishly progressive himself successful idiosyncratic else's feud.

'Jack Mather was evidently seeking revenge for what helium thought the complainant had done. The suspect was the past to get and foolishly progressive himself.'

Ms Wilde told the tribunal that her lawsuit had antecedently worked successful a warehouse and had to diminution a occupation connection from McDonald's owed to his electronically monitored curfew, adding: 'He could not beryllium flexible and had to diminution that connection of employment. He has completed an exertion signifier online for the Army, and is owed to be an interrogation soon.

'He is besides owed to commencement assemblage successful September and looking to undertake an apprenticeship. He is simply a young antheral who is trying to amended himself and who has stopped taking drugs.

'That played a portion successful his mediocre determination making that evening. He has not been successful occupation earlier and determination is inactive anticipation that helium tin proceed to amended his occupation prospects.'

Holcroft was recovered blameworthy of unlawful wounding by a assemblage pursuing a proceedings but cleared of the much superior offence of wounding with intent and possession of an violative limb successful a nationalist place. 

He was handed an 18-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months with 150 hours of unpaid enactment and a rehabilitation enactment request of up to 20 days.

Mather and Smith antecedently received 22 months successful a young offenders' institute aft admitting unlawful wounding. Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: 'You joined successful that chase, albeit I americium definite fractional heartedly and retired of misplaced loyalty to radical you hardly knew.

'You joined successful that assault. It cannot beryllium said that you inflicted immoderate wounds connected Mr Surendra but it is wide that, arsenic a effect of this radical onslaught connected an unarmed man, helium suffered puncture wounds - astir apt caused by a screwdriver.

'He was fortunate. He was capable to locomotion away.

'There is nary grounds of immoderate agelong word injury. You were substantially affected by ketamine and alcohol.

'Mather and Smith each received 22 months detention, though some had erstwhile convictions and played a greater relation successful the attack. You are the youngest of the three.

'You explicit important remorse for becoming progressive successful idiosyncratic else's argument. You person not offended since and person taken important steps to amended yourself.

'In your case, I instrumentality an exceptional people and suspend the condemnation due to the fact that I americium satisfied that this is your archetypal offence and determination is simply a realistic imaginable of rehabilitation. There is beardown idiosyncratic mitigation.

'Your actions person placed you astatine important hazard of contiguous detention successful a young offenders' institute. You would not beryllium truthful fortunate if you were foolish capable to impact yourself successful further transgression activity.

'I volition retrieve the 8th of July, the time connected which I person fixed you an opportunity. If you perpetrate immoderate further offences, battalion your bags.'