A TEENAGER who stabbed a dog walker in the stomach because he was 'angry at the world' has been jailed for eight years.

Oliver Welsby, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to one count of causing grievous bodily harm with intent following the attack in Abingdon's Boxhill Park on July 19.

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Jane Davies, prosecuting, told the court it was just days before his 18th birthday when he approached Julie Faulkner from behind in the wooded area, covered her mouth with his hand and then was 'nose-to-nose' as he plunged a knife into her abdomen.

Ms Davies said Mrs Faulkner's injuries were superficial, the weapon missing her organs, but this was 'more by luck than intention'. An impact statement from Mrs Faulkner said: “Since my attack I have changed from confident, happy-go-lucky, to someone who is constantly questioning who is around her.”

 

She said she was often ‘scared and anxious’, had flashbacks, nightmares and was worried about being left alone. She added: “It dictates my whole day. The person I was before is gone."

A statement from Meg Nott, who witnessed the attack and was the first to rush to Mrs Faulkner’s aid, was also read out in court.

She said the image of the attack was 'seared' into her mind, adding: “I believed she was dying in my arms.”

David Bright, in mitigation, said the teenager was ‘troubled’ but had shown remorse.

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Judge Maria Lamb, sentencing Welsby to eight years in prison with an extended licence period of five years, said: "You told the probation officer on January 15 that you were 'angry at the world' and stabbed the 'first person you saw'."

She said she believed he had, in fact, waited in a secluded spot for 'prey' – someone vulnerable and alone. She added: "It is a chilling feature that you have behaved throughout the incident with a sophistication and calculation which belies your years."

She pointed to the fact the weapon had never been recovered nor his clothes from the day, and that GPS on his phone had been either turned off or deleted.

She also referenced psychiatric reports that mentioned he experienced 'intrusive thoughts' about 'physical and sexual violence' towards himself and others.