WHITE: CRACKHEAD JAILED FOR DECORATOR ATTACK (AND HE MAY EVEN BE DEPORTED)

Central News, Press Room, Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, LONDON, EC4.
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08 July 2011

decorator…1

A knifeman who attacked a decorator believing he had stolen property from his girlfriend’s home was jailed for six years today (Fri).

Kaskalsynda (CORR) White, 31, was high on crack cocaine when he turned up at Sebastian Smith’s front door and tried to stab and slash at him in a ‘determined and sustained’ assault.

Mr Smith, who had done some work at White’s partner’s home, bravely fought off the attacker, who was armed with a knife with a 15cm blade.

But during his desperate defence the victim grabbed the blade of the weapon and suffered severe lacerations to his fingers and hands during the attack on June 13 last year.

Mr Smith sustained debilitating injuries to both hands and has had full movement again within the last couple of months.

The Old Bailey heard White had believed Mr Smith had taken items that belonged to him from his girlfriend’s home, while completed work there.

White, who had been using drugs heavily at the time, went straight to Mr Smith’s home in Thornton Heath, south London, and launched the attack as he opened the door.

White admitted wounding with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.

Jailing White for six year, Judge Anthony Morris QC said: ‘You appear to have got it in to your head that Mr Smith had taken some of your property.

‘I don’t accept for a moment that he did such a thing and the grievance you had was wholly misconceived.

‘But because of that grievance and no doubt because you had taken crack cocaine you armed yourself with a substantial knife and went round to Mr Smith’s flat.

‘Having got Mr Smith to open the door of the flat you then carried out a determined and sustained attack upon Mr Smith and you tried on a number of occasion s to stab him with that knife.

‘I am satisfied had he not put up the struggle that he did and the resistance that he did you would have caused him far more severe injuries than he suffered.

‘He was able to resist the attack by grabbing the blade of the knife and prevent more serious injury to himself. But in doing so he suffered severe lacerations to his fingers on his right hand and his index finger and palm on his left hand.

‘This was a deeply traumatic experience for him. He believed you would have killed him and his life was in danger had he not been able to defend himself in the way he did.

‘He was left with shock and psychological scarring from suffering such an attack in the doorway of his home.

‘I am relieved to hear he has recovered from that trauma.’

The court heard White had arrived in the UK as a student in 2001, but had quit his course and his visa had expired.

He had remained ‘under the radar’ of immigration until his arrest on these matters.

White has since been told he will be deported, but he is appealing the decision as he has three children in this country.

White, of (47) Warlingham Road, Thornton Heath, south London, was told he will serve half his sentence in custody before being released on licence.

However Judge Morris said the ‘likelihood’ would be that he would be deported.

ENDS