A knifeman tried to flee to Portugal after stabbing a young man in the neck outside a popular Wokingham nightclub.
Ki Alvis of Lee, of Carey Road, Wokingham, disposed of a bag of knives en route to Gatwick hours after his ‘entirely unprovoked’ kitchen-knife attack at The Gig House in February.
A first-aider who attended to the victim’s injuries described them as ‘something worse than she had ever seen’.
The 23-year-old offender was today locked up after leaving his victim in intensive care following the ‘unforgivable’ incident.
Reading Crown Court heard how the victim and his friends were out at the Gig House nightclub on Denmark Street, Wokingham, on the evening of February 12.
Alvis of Lee made one of the girls in the group ‘feel uncomfortable’ after making an ‘inappropriate comment.’
Rowan Noone approached the 23-year-old to question him about this, a court heard, and the pair shook hands.
The defendant subsequently left the club and tried to re-enter at 2am.
After being denied access, Alvis of Lee told a doorman he would stab them.
He ‘loitered’ outside before Rowan Noone, his friend Oliver Vickers and their other companions left the club at 3am to get into a taxi.
Alvis of Lee then told Noone and told him to come over to him, a court heard.
The victim saw the attacker’s fists were clenched before spotting a knife poking out between his knuckles.
Noone then felt a blow to his head and thought he had been punched, only to realise he had been stabbed in the neck.
After shouting for help, Noone returned to The Gig House for help.
A care home worker who was also at the club that evening and gave first aid to the victim described Noone’s injury as ‘something worse than she had ever seen’, Reading Crown Court heard.
Meanwhile, Oliver Vickers confronted Alvis of Lee and the latter slashed the former’s head with the knife - an incident that would result in the defendant admitting to a second count of wounding.
He managed to run off from the scene and at 5.14am an Uber driver received a pickup request from a Wokingham address.
Reading Crown Court heard how Alvis of Lee waited until after police had stopped circling his house before he got into the Uber.
He told the driver he had to get to the airport and placed a bag filled with knives in the boot of the car.
They stopped at Cobham services on the way to Gatwick where Alvis of Lee disposed of the weapons.
Once at the airport, the driver called police and told them his passenger had mentioned trying to evade the authorities.
Alvis of Lee tried to board a flight to Portgual but was stopped by police officers.
Rowan Noone, the victim, was taken to theatre at Royal Berkshire Hospital where it was discovered he had suffered a collapsed lung.
The 3cm-deep wound to his neck caused him breathing and speaking difficulties and a nasogastric tube was fitted to give him access to nutrients.
He remained in an intensive care on a ventilator for two days, prosecutor Elaine Freer said.
Peter De Feu, defending, said his client had a ‘difficult childhood’ and left school with no qualifications.
However, the court heard Alvis of Lee was due to start a ‘well-paid job’ the same month as the incident.
Mr De Feu argued the stabbing was a “life-threatening action” but “it was not a life-threatening injury” that the victim suffered.
Her Honour Judge Campbell appeared to disagree with this assessment.
She told the defendant this was an “entirely unprovoked assault” on two young men who were unknown to him.
“This case demonstrates the very serious consequences when someone decides to bring a knife with them”, the judge added.
Ki Alves of Lee was sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison for one count of wounding with intent and one count of unlawful wounding.
He was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday, May 18.
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