Park Attack Horror: Man Jailed for Stabbing Two Victims

Stoke-on-Trent man, 25, jailed after stabbing two men in Hanley Park with scissors in shocking attack; police vow toughest action against violent offenders.

A man who stabbed two people with a pair of scissors during a confrontation in a city park has been jailed for two years after admitting the attack before Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. Abdulrahin Abbker, 25, from Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to two counts of wounding and one count of possessing a bladed article in a public place. The court heard the incident took place in Hanley Park in May this year, when Abbker approached two men, sparking a brief argument that escalated into violence. During the confrontation, Abbker produced a pair of scissors from his bag and used them to stab one victim in the stomach and the other in the leg before being restrained by police officers who arrived minutes later. Emergency services were called after members of the public reported the disturbance. Both victims were taken to hospital, where their injuries were assessed as neither life-threatening nor life-changing. They later made full recoveries. Police said Abbker was detained at the scene after officers responded to a 999 call reporting the assault. The court was told that following his arrest, Abbker gave an account under caution but ultimately accepted responsibility for the attack. Detective Constable Isobel Holliday, of the force’s criminal investigation department, said after sentencing that Abbker’s actions could have caused significantly greater harm. “Abbker could have easily caused far more serious injury in this incident and has been rightfully convicted for his actions,” she said, adding that officers remained committed to pursuing violent offenders and securing the toughest possible punishment in court. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that Abbker’s guilty plea was accepted on the basis of his intent to cause harm rather than to kill. The sentencing judge noted that the use of scissors as a weapon, while improvised, still constituted possession of a bladed article capable of inflicting substantial injury. Passing sentence, the court imposed a total of two years’ custody for the wounding offences, to be served concurrently with a lesser term for the bladed article charge.