Man sentenced for Hastings stabbing

A man who stabbed three people in Hastings town centre in an unprovoked attack has been sentenced.

Nicky Warnes made threats to two men not known to him at a late-night restaurant in Havelock Road.

He then confronted them and stabbed the two men in the chest.

A woman working nearby intervened and was also stabbed in the arm.

All three victims required hospital treatment, including one man for a collapsed lung.

One victim said: “I don’t know why we were attacked, all we did was walk past him, and once he had started having a go I could tell he was looking to get into a fight.”

Warnes tried to hide the knife in a bin inside the restaurant, but this was recovered by officers.

He was swiftly arrested and was charged with three counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and one count of possession of a bladed article in public.

Warnes, 46, of no fixed address, admitted the charges when he appeared before Lewes Crown Court in November last year.

He appeared for sentencing at Hove Crown Court on March 19, where he was jailed for life, to serve a minimum term of eight years.

The court was told how the incident happened at about 2.40am on October 19 last year.

Two men walked past Warnes, and he followed them and made threats.

Then during the course of an altercation, he took out a knife and stabbed the two men, and a woman who tried to intervene to help.

One victim described the long term impact of having ongoing pain and nightmares as a result of the unprovoked attack.

The other two victims described the impact of their injuries as ongoing with hospital treatment and stab wounds.

Speaking after the case, Detective Sergeant Auryn Liddiard said: “This was an unprovoked and violent attack using a blade.

“The victims at first had not realised they had been stabbed because Warnes had concealed the knife.

“He then tried to discard it in a bin.

“But thanks to the courage of the woman who intervened, and the professionalism of police officers who were on an active patrol of the town centre, Warnes was swiftly arrested.

“Evidence was quickly gathered which showed Warnes had carried out the stabbing and discarded evidence.

“As a result, he had no choice but to plead guilty when presented with the evidence of his actions in court.

“We are pleased that a violent and dangerous offender has been taken off our streets and will serve a significant prison sentence.”