The 20-year-old victim sustained life-threatening injuries
A West London man who carried out a ‘frenzied’ machete attack in front of horrified commuters has been jailed. Aidan Watts, 20, repeatedly stabbed the 20-year-old victim on the platform of Imperial Wharf station, causing life-threatening injuries to his thigh, abdomen and buttocks.
Police were called to the Fulham interchange shortly after 5.20pm on June 18 last year to reports of the frightening incident. Watts, along with Jakada Joseph, 22, and Stefan Kosavac-Godart, 19, had spotted the victim, who was known to them, after exiting the same rush hour train.
The group ran to confront and ambush him, chasing the man and tripping him over. Watts then launched into the knife attack in full view of onlookers, before fleeing the scene.
Witnesses described seeing Watts carrying a machete with a red 40cm blade as he ran away. This was later stashed by a set of maintenance units at a nearby housing estate, the British Transport Police (BTP) said.
CCTV cameras also caught Watts discarding items of clothing in the same area immediately after the stabbing. He was arrested on June 22, with Joseph and Kosavac-Godart detained on July 3 and July 29, respectively.
Watts, of Cremorne Estate, Kensington and Chelsea, pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm (GBH) ahead of an Inner London Crown Court trial that concluded on March 12. He was sentenced to five years and one month in prison, with an additional year to be served on licence, at the same court on Thursday, May 7.
Joseph, of Cambridge Gardens, also Kensington and Chelsea, and Kosavac-Godart, of no fixed address, were convicted of affray. The latter was given a conditional discharge following time served on remand.
BTP awaits sentencing information for Joseph.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Attwell said: “What was a normal summer’s evening at a busy West London station very quickly escalated into serious violence. The two parties were on the same train, within feet of each other, and had the group not noticed the victim then the whole incident could have been avoided.
“As it was, they spotted him and outnumbered him, before Watts launched a spontaneous but targeted frenzied attack on the platform. Our detectives worked tirelessly to gather a wealth of witness statements, CCTV footage and forensic evidence.
“I’d like to thank them and our colleagues from the Metropolitan Police Service and the Crown Prosecution Service for supporting our investigation.”
Anyone who is the victim of, or witness to, an offence on the railway network should text BTP on 61016, or call 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency, always dial 999.
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