Jury finds knifeman guilty of attempted murder

A knifeman who stabbed someone in the head during a street fight has been convicted of attempted murder.

The victim needed an operation to remove part of the blade from his skull after Connor Page attacked him with the weapon.

Page used the knife to stab the other man 12 separate times during a sustained and frenzied assault in Nottingham city centre.

This came seconds after he’d become embroiled in a fight with his victim in Wilford Street that spilled over into the middle of the road during the early hours of 23 June last year.

After fleeing from the scene, Page tried to dispose of the weapon in a nearby car park but was only successful in presenting detectives with the evidence needed to secure his conviction.

Once the knife was retrieved by officers, forensic testing led to the 27-year-old’s blood being found on the blade’s handle, while analysis of available CCTV also earmarked him as being the chief culprit.    

Based on this evidence, Page was left with no choice but to plead guilty to wounding with intent when he appeared in court last October, although he denied a separate charge of attempted murder.

In the two-day trial that followed last week, the strength of the case built against him resulted in the jury finding him guilty, when they returned their verdict at Nottingham Crown Court today (13 January).

Page, of Metcalfe Close, Derby, has been remanded into custody, and is due to reappear in court for a further hearing later this week, at which point a date for him to be sentenced will be confirmed.

Detective Constable Ruth Towle, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“The strength of the case brought against Page left him with no option but to admit he’d carried out this attack with the intention of causing the other man serious harm.  

“He always flatly denied he’d been trying to kill his victim however, so we’re really pleased to see the jury agree with our view that he was in fact trying to do exactly that.

“This was a savage and frenzied attack that will have been incredibly distressing for anyone who witnessed it – not to mention the victim, who required surgery but was thankfully not more seriously injured.

“While he may have been found guilty today, Connor Page should count himself very lucky that he wasn’t in court facing a different charge of murder.”