Knifeman found hiding in loft after brutal attack

A violent offender being hunted for a knife attack was caught when police found him hiding in a loft.

The victim suffered serious injuries after being stabbed repeatedly by James Pedley when the pair agreed to meet in Morvern Avenue, Sutton-in-Ashfield.

Police were called to the scene around 1pm on 11 October 2025 after a passer-by reported a man was being stabbed in front of her.

Officers found the victim, a man aged in 40s, lying on the floor bleeding close to a set of garages.

James Pedley was found by officers hiding in loft insulation.

He was taken to hospital and required emergency surgery.

An investigation was launched and a trawl of CCTV footage and other inquiries identified 41-year-old Pedley as a suspect.

It was discovered Pedley had travelled to meet the victim on a scooter and they had quickly become involved in an altercation in the street.

A phone recovered from the scene was found from footage to have been dropped by Pedley during the fight.

Pedley stabbed the man repeatedly to the torso and neck as they brawled close to the garages.

The attacker left on foot in blood-soaked clothes and went on the run.

Two days later officers tracked him down to an address in Dalestorth Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield, where Kurt Horton and Tracey Hoff were living.

Following a search of the address Pedley was found hiding under loft insulation, between floor beams, behind hatches which could only have been locked by another person.

Pedley, Horton and Hoff were all arrested and clothing worn by Pedley on the day of the attack was found inside the property.

Pedley, of Elder Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield, was found guilty of committing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place following a trial last week.

At Nottingham Crown Court on Friday (27 March) he was jailed for a total of 14 years.

Thirty-seven-year-old Hoff, of Newcastle Street, Huthwaite, and Horton, aged 34, of Sherwood Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield, have both pleaded guilty to assisting an offender and will be sentenced at a later date.

Detective Sergeant Nathan Bingham, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

”The meeting between these two men quickly developed into a fight and the presence of a knife has resulted in grave consequences for all concerned.

“The victim suffered serious injuries, losing large quantities of blood and requiring emergency surgery. The wounds from that day continue to impact on his life six months later.

“It is thanks to a rapid response by emergency services and the efforts of medical teams that he survived the attack.

“We identified Pedley as a suspect and hunted him down.

“It was clear he had been assisted in avoiding arrest by both Hoff and Horton who let him hide in the loft.

“This attack took place in front of a number of onlookers and it must have been frightening for them to unwittingly become part of this incident.

“A team of detectives worked very hard to build a strong case against all three offenders and I’m pleased Pedley will now be behind bars for an extended period of time.”