Chelmsford: Violent offender jailed after knife attack

Work by our detectives has led to a man being jailed for 10 years for stabbing a friend in an unprovoked attack, leaving him with life-long injuries.

Alex Crane, 24, had picked up a friend in his van on the night of Monday 17 July last year, in the Margaretting Road area of Writtle.

A short time later, after the van veered off the road and crashed into a ditch, the victim was seen staggering along the road by witnesses.

The witnesses acted quickly to take him to hospital.

Crane had stabbed him in the back with a knife, going through his lung, diaphragm, and into his spleen.

The victim’s injury was described as life-threatening, and he required a blood transfusion and surgery.

Thankfully he later made a recovery, but he continues to have breathing problems and will rely on medication for the rest of his life.

Crane called our Force Control Room on Tuesday 18 July, in the early hours of the morning, falsely telling us his van had been stolen.

He was arrested on Wednesday 19 July at a caravan park at his home address in Oak Lane, Billericay.

The victim told us Crane – who he had considered a friend – had stabbed him without warning.

He said Crane had long been motivated by a delusion the victim had been involved with his girlfriend.

'Attack left me fighting for my life'

In a victim impact statement, he said he had been suffering flashbacks, adding:

“Since the incident I have been suffering a lot of anxiety and paranoia.
“I am struggling to leave my house because I worry someone will hurt me again. I’m even finding it difficult to go to the car outside.
“He was supposed to be a friend and for no reason I ended up fighting for my life.”

Despite the evidence against him, Crane denied a single charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He was unanimously convicted by a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday 25 January.

Appearing at the same court for sentence on Friday 31 May this year, he was handed an extended sentence comprising 10 years imprisonment and two years on licence.

Violent and dangerous

Investigating officer Detective Constable Hannah Gibbs, from Chelmsford CID, said:

“This was an extremely serious assault which took place in a rural area, whereby the victim was isolated and left with no help.
“Had he not managed to get himself back onto the main road and been helped by the witnesses, the consequences could have been fatal.
“The victim will be left to pick up the pieces of his life as best he can and has done so with admirable determination.
“Crane is a dangerous offender who will now spend a considerable term behind bars thanks to some effective police work across several teams within the force.
“We have supported the victim throughout this investigation, helping them feel able to give evidence and support our enquiries.
“I would praise his courage throughout this process, and I hope this sentence gives him a degree of confidence in moving forward with his life.”

Detective Sergeant Leila Sandford said:

“I want to thank DC Gibbs for her work and praise her diligence through a challenging investigation.
“Her sole focus was to get justice for the victim, and I am pleased she has been able to achieve this.”

At Essex Police we put victims at the heart of everything we do. The Victims’ Code explains the rights that everyone can expect to receive as a victim of crime, and helps us define what we must do for all victims from their initial contact with our force until the conclusion of their case.

Find out more about the code and to understand the rights of a victim of crime, on our Support for victims and witnesses of crime page.

To report a crime, please use our digital 101 service. In an emergency call 999. 

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