Stab victim thanks police as teenage attackers jailed
3 May 2019, 19:10
A young man who technically died for several minutes after being stabbed through the heart has thanked West Midlands Police for catching his attackers.
Christian Flood was visiting Birmingham University pals when he was attacked in an alleyway off Heeley Road, Selly Oak, just after 6am on 7 October last year by two teenagers who demanded keys to his friend’s car.
The 22-year-old suffered four stab wounds to his chest, including one which pierced his aorta and sent him into cardiac arrest.
Paramedics found Christian, from Shrewsbury, collapsed and unresponsive in a friend’s flat but managed to re-start his heart in an ambulance on route to hospital.
Witnesses described the offenders as arriving and leaving in a silver Nissan Micra.
And at around 11am the same morning – less than four hours after the stabbing – lads aged 17 and 15 were arrested in Staffordshire.
Detectives seized clothing matching that worn by the offenders and analysis of mobile phones showed the pair – who cannot be named for legal reasons – were in the Selly Oak area at the time of the offence.
The 15-year-old was also found in possession of keys to the Nissan Micra – later confirmed as being stolen – which was recovered in Falklands Croft, Stirchley.
Officers found a claw hammer, understood to have been used during the robbery, inside the vehicle.
The teenagers refused to answer questions during interview but West Midlands Police had gathered enough evidence to charge the 15-year-old with attempted murder and both with six attempted robberies, included an attack on three students in Selly Hill Road 20 minutes before the stabbing when one victim was shoved into a fence and kicked to the floor.
And at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday (3 May) the 15-year-old was jailed for a total of 18 years, while the 17-year-old was given a 50-month custodial sentence; both admitted the offences.
