Oxford thug jailed for slicing man’s thumb with Samurai sword

Kyle Cox, of Harebell Road, Oxford, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday, May 14.

The 23-year-old was charged after a stabbing at Northfield Close, near the junction with Alice Smith Square in the Littlemore area of Oxford, at around midnight on Thursday, December 11 last year.

Cox pleaded guilty to wounding Zachary Stone and having a Samurai sword in a public place.

The victim suffered serious injuries and was sent to hospital.

Alexandra Bushell, prosecuting, told the court that Mr Stone was in a relationship with Cox’s ex-girlfriend at the time of the attack.

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The crime scene at the time (Image: TVP)

Mr Stone was at her house and Cox was outside, shouting for her.

The court heard Mr Stone asked him to leave, which is when Cox’s mood changed.

He pulled out a Samurai sword and started to swing it around. He struck Mr Stone’s hip twice and then went for his face.

Mr Stone blocked this, but the top of his thumb was sliced off.

Ms Bushell told the court the victim was in ‘extreme pain’ and felt ‘dizzy and sick’.

The police were called and Cox was arrested the next morning.

Mr Stone was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington and had to have two blood transfusions and a metal plate inserted into his hip.

Ms Bushell then read out Mr Stone’s victim impact statement.

It said: “Since the incident, I have suffered physically and mentally. I have had three surgeries since the attack.

“The top part of my thumb was sliced off in the incident. The impact has been massive. I can no longer play the guitar which I enjoyed doing.

“I have been struggling with my emotions since the incident. I will have to manage and cope with the injuries for the rest of my life.”

The court heard that Cox has six previous convictions for seven offences, including a bladed article offence.

Ms Bushell said: “There was a significant degree of planning. It was a highly dangerous weapon. It caused a grave injury.”

Peter Du Feu, mitigating, said: “The defendant is hugely frustrated by what he has done.

“He’s had no support from mental health services in prison. He is absolutely clean of substances at the moment.

“This was a love rivalry, but to behave as he did was quite unforgivable. He responded very badly indeed.

“He is determined to bounce back from this.”

Judge Ian Pringle KC (Image: NQ)

Judge Ian Pringle KC said: “This was the use of a highly dangerous weapon.”

Cox was jailed for a total of six years.

He was given a restraining order against the victim until a further order is made.

An order was also made for the forfeiture of the Samurai sword.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Ben Heath said: “This was a completely unprovoked attack in which a man was stabbed with a samurai-style sword. The offender brought the weapon with him and clearly intended to use it.

“As a result, the victim suffered multiple serious injuries, many of which he will have to live with for the rest of his life.

“This sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence. Thames Valley Police take crimes involving weapons extremely seriously, and this outcome demonstrates our ongoing commitment to removing dangerous offenders and weapons from our streets to help keep our communities safe.”