Select a region
A 19-year-old has been found guilty of attempting to murder a teenage boy in a brutal stabbing attack on Le Geyt Estate last year, which saw the young victim "left for dead" with a knife sticking out of his back.
Alex De Jesus denied the charge but was convicted by a jury on Friday afternoon following a trial lasting nearly two weeks in the Royal Court.
Two teenagers, who cannot be named, were cleared of grave and criminal assault.
A fourth man, 18-year-old Jayden Howard, had already admitted attempted murder and was not involved in the trial.
The attack on 9 January, which took place near Unifare Stores, saw the teenage victim stabbed 23 times over an alleged drug debt, then dragged to such a secluded area that he was difficult to find by the Emergency Services.
He was fortunately able to call for help and was airlifted to Southampton Hospital the next day for emergency surgery.
The victim suffered two punctured lungs and damage to his liver, and had to have an operation at Southampton Hospital to remove part of the blade of a knife from his back.
Mr De Jesus admitted taking a knife with him to the scene, but said he did not use it. He admitted only to punching the victim and pleaded guilty to grave and criminal assault.
The two unnamed teenagers claimed they were innocent bystanders and had no idea a violent attack was going to occur.
However, the prosecution in the case argued that it was a premeditated ambush and say De Jesus must have been involved in the stabbing, along with Howard.
They also argued that the two teenagers would have known what was to happen and are guilty of grave and criminal assault by encouraging and supporting the act.
Detective Constable Joao Carvalho, the officer in charge of the investigation, said: "This was a vicious attack, which left the victim with life changing injuries.
"It's been a long and complex investigation, but we hope this conviction sends out a strong message to anyone thinking of carrying a knife and we hope that the victim can find some solace from today's verdict whilst he continues to recover from his injuries."
The jury gave their verdict following a day of deliberation.
Teen "left for dead" after drug debt stabbing attack, court told
Police officer recalls moment he found stab victim with blade in his back
Teen accused of stabbing claims victim made drug debt death threats
Teen in attempted murder trial says he gave victim phone for 999 call
Stabbed man was "ambushed" by four people, court told
Jury retires in Le Geyt stabbing trial
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.