Two Bournemouth men are behind bars in connection with two separate stabbing attacks in the same month in Boscombe.
Nicholas David Pike, also known as Nicholas Kelly, 32 and of Palmerston Road, and John Paul Williams, 28 and of Christchurch Road, were sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 6 June 2019.
Pike was jailed for a total of 12 years for two offences of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Williams was jailed for nine years for one offence of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and 16 months in relation to a robbery at Kings Park in Bournemouth to run concurrently.
Pike was found guilty on Monday 17 December 2018 following a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court of stabbing a man on 16 July 2018. He was remanded in custody prior to sentencing to stand trial alongside Williams for a second stabbing committed on 27 July 2018. However, Pike pleaded guilty at the start of the trial. Williams was convicted on Thursday 11 April 2019 following a four-day trial at Portsmouth Crown Court.
On Monday 16 July 2018 Pike and another man approached the victim at a flat in Churchill Road in order to lure out a second man – a known drug dealer who had recently moved to the area and had been selling drugs on the defendant’s patch. The victim declined to help.
At around 11pm that day Pike returned to the address and attacked the victim, a local man aged in his 30s, by firstly beating him and then stabbing him with a steak knife. During the assault the victim was stabbed in his mouth and his left thigh.
Pike left and the victim went to another address to raise the alarm. He was taken to hospital for treatment.
Officers attended the scene but were unable to trace either of the men.
The second incident involving Pike and Williams occurred on Friday 27 July 2018. At around 8pm the victim, a local man also aged in his 30s, contacted Pike in order to buy some drugs from him. The pair met up in Boscombe and walked along Christchurch Road toward Williams’ address. The victim waited outside while Pike went inside. Both defendants returned five minutes later and the drugs deal for heroin and crack cocaine was completed.
However, the victim later discovered the wraps he’d bought were not drugs. He located Pike and Williams and challenged them. They returned to Williams’ address and a short time later they all walked to a local play area. As they walked along an alleyway Williams and Pike attacked their victim and stabbed him five times with what were believed to be screwdrivers.
The victim fled and ran into a local coffee shop to call for help. He sustained stab wounds to his buttocks, abdomen, arms and defensive injuries to his legs and hands.
Following an investigation, Pike and Williams were arrested and charged.
The robbery committed by Williams occurred at around 8.30am on Sunday 16 July 2017 in Kings Park. Williams and his accomplice Aaron Colin Anders, aged 25 and of no fixed abode, approached a group of teenagers – four boys and two girls – threatened them and demanded money. Among the threats made by the men was that they were in possession of acid, but no acid was seen or used.
They made off with a vape smoking device and cash. An attempt was also made to steal a watch and bicycle from another 16-year-old boy but this was unsuccessful.
Anders was jailed for five months for attempted robbery.
Detective Constable Jane Millard, of Bournemouth CID, said: “Nicholas Pike and John Williams armed themselves with weapons to carry out these attacks following disagreements about drugs.
“I hope the sentence handed out by the court to Nicholas Pike in particular will send out a very strong reminder that knife crime will simply not be tolerated. Dorset Police takes these offences extremely seriously – we will investigate them thoroughly and bring offenders to justice.”
