Thug jailed 20 years for stabbing man in Luton car park

Stephen Robson, 31, was found guilty of stabbing his victim as he sat in his car in a car park in the town.

The incident took place in Castle Street at around 3.50pm on February 23, 2019

The victim was sat in his car when Robson, of no fixed abode, approached his car from the driver’s side and threatened him with a knife.

He demanded that the victim handed over his keys and step out of the car. When making his threats, he stabbed the victim through a half-opened window.

The victim was stabbed multiple times in the chest and his right arm.

He managed to drive off and call for help from a nearby street. His injuries were initially considered life threatening.

Robson was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment for causing grievous bodily harm with intent, with an additional three years to be served on an extended license.

Detective Chief Inspector Louisa Glynn, from Bedfordshire Police, said: “This is a really strong sentence handed out by the courts and should serve as a warning in no uncertain terms that knife crime will not be tolerated.

“But we cannot escape the fact that the terrible events of this week show us that we must all do more to stop knife crime and get these terrible weapons off the streets.

“This includes the police and other professionals working to protect young people and keep people safe, with help from all our communities.

“I would implore everyone reading this to get in touch with us or other agencies like Crimestoppers or the VERU if you think someone you know is carrying a knife, or involved in something like gangs or drug dealing.

“We cannot solve this problem without the support of and buy in from our communities, and we really need your help to do our absolute best to keep young people safe and stop anymore of these tragedies.”

To report concerns about knife crime, please report via Bedfordshire Police's online reporting centre www.bedfordshire.police.uk/report/ or call police on 101.

You can also call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.