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Thug who knifed his mate after meeting at a Chatham pub is jailed

Maidstone Crown Court
Maidstone Crown Court

A man who stabbed his pal with the victim's own knife was jailed for four years today.

Roger Brazier picked up the weapon after it had been dropped by Lee Evatt.

The two men came to blows following a row in a Chatham pub in November last year.

But Maidstone Crown Court heard that it was Mr Evatt who first wielded the knife after being thrown out of the Prince of Wales - and, despite knife wounds to his stomach, continued to argue with Brazier as he tried to give him first aid and call for an ambulance.

Brazier, 38, of East Street, Chatham, admitted wounding Mr Evatt with intent.

Jailing him Judge Philip Statman said he accepted that Brazier had been provoked.

But the judge added he was fortunate that his friend's "extremely nasty" injuries were not more serious.

The court heard the prosecution accepted Brazier's basis of plea after consulting Mr Evatt.

Mr Evatt suffered other knife wounds to his shoulder and neck but is said to have made a "reasonable" recovery.

Prosecutor Priyadarshani Khanna told the court the two men had arranged to meet in the pub to watch a football match.

A row broke out in which Mr Evatt grabbed Brazier by the shoulder and Mr Evatt was asked to leave.

Mr Evatt started to walk to his vehicle parked in the nearby Argos car park while Brazier followed him.

The two men then tussled in an alleyway and Miss Khanna said Mr Evatt produced the knife.

The row continued and Mr Evatt was stabbed.

"The defendant was very concerned about what he had done and it was he who made contact with paramedics and the ambulance service," explained Miss Khanna.

"It is plainly obvious (from the 999 call recording) that there was an argument still taking place and the defendant was doing his best to get the paramedics to the scene."

David Jones, defending, said the attack was not premeditated and Brazier's only intention that evening was to watch football with his friend.

Passing sentence Judge Statman said it was important to recognise that Brazier was not drunk at the time of the stabbing, had not been responsible for the original altercation between himself and Mr Evatt in the pub, and the knife belonged to Mr Evatt.

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