Teenager nicknamed 'the boxer' who stabbed boy in street jailed for four years

A balaclava-wearing teenager who repeatedly stabbed a boy in the street during mass unrest has been sentenced to four years in custody. Leo Williams chased and slashed his young victim five times before jumping into a car and being driven away.

Williams – who also goes by the name Leo Taylor – denied inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent but was found guilty during the trial at Swansea Crown Court last month. In sending the 18-year-old back, a judge said it was just a matter of luck his victim had not suffered more serious injuries.

The victim – who cannot be named due to his age – was stabbed in the early hours of November 19 last year in the Plasmarl area of ​​Swansea. Williams' trial heard the background to the outbreak of violence was an argument between two groups of young men over the messaging app Snapchat which escalated into a confrontation near Rossi's Chip and Coppers pub Arms on Neath Road.

LEARN MORE: Ospreys scrum-half Luke Davies to face trial for robbery

LEARN MORE: Man sent sexual messages to 13-year-old girl – then claimed someone connected to her parents' wifi and did it

The accused was one of several men in a Ford Fiesta who were involved in an altercation with another group – estimated to number between 12 and 20 – and at one point was heard shouting from the car “Do you know who I am? My name is Leo Taylor!” The group on the street dispersed when a knife was pulled from the Ford, and the victim ran towards nearby Millbrook Street. It was here that Williams, wearing a balaclava, chased his victim, a 16-year-old, and hit him in the back and arms as he ran for his life. At the intersection of the street with Cwm Level Road, the victim turned to his attacker and begged him not to stab him. Williams punched his victim again, then got back into the Fiesta and was driven away.

The court heard the victim was unable to identify her attacker due to her face being covered, but police identified Williams as her main suspect. The Fiesta was then stopped heading west on the M4 between the Penllerager and Hendy junctions while Williams was arrested at his home in the Neath Valley.

During his first interview with police, Williams denied having been in Swansea on the night in question, saying he was in Neath town centre. He later admitted that he was picked up in the Fiesta and taken to Plasmarl after being asked to solve a “problem”, namely “four boys”, only to discover that when he arrived at Swansea they were faced with a large group of young people, some of whom he said were holding poles. He denied getting out of the car and denied being the one who stabbed the victim. Williams told the court he was known as “the boxer” and was friends with former world champion boxer Enzo Maccarinelli, and said if he was going to fight anyone it would be with his fists and not with a knife.

During the trial, the court heard there was no evidence that any of the men in the group who confronted the Ford occupants were carrying sticks. The court also heard that the knife used in the attack was never found, no forensic evidence was found inside the Fiesta, the accused's phone was never found – despite the fact that he had told a detective shortly before his arrest – and the gray jacket that Williams was wearing on the night in question could not be forensically examined in the laboratory because it was not had not been immediately bagged and handled properly after being collected from his mother's house. The court also heard no one else had been charged with offenses relating to the disorder.

After deliberating for two and a half hours, the jury found Williams, of Pen-yr-Allt, Resolven, Neath Valley, guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and guilty of possessing a sharp article. He has no previous convictions. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here

Journalist David Elias KC said it was only a matter of luck that the victim had not suffered even more serious injuries during the attack. He said that upon arriving at his sentence, he read detailed reports about Williams, was aware of the defendant's “difficult upbringing” and was reminded of the principles of sentencing for young people. He noted the assault took place just days after Williams turned 18, and said there was no sudden sentencing “cliff” between under-18s and those aged 18 and over. Williams was sentenced to four years in a young offenders institution.

This interactive tool allows you to view the latest crime statistics for your area