Masked knifeman tried to murder man by stabbing him in the neck

A masked thug tried to kill a man by stabbing him, forcing him to the floor and then stabbing him again in his neck. Curtis Butler has been locked up after launching a vicious attack and attempted murder in a street in Westcliff.

Butler, 23, of Great Gregorie, Basildon, was convicted in April of stabbing his victim in Valkyrie Road shortly after midnight on October 30, 2021. The victim, a man in his 20s, had been walking with friends over the bridge between Station Road and Valkyrie Road when Butler, wearing a balaclava, approached him, said something to him, and stabbed him.

After he fell to the floor, Butler stabbed the victim again in his neck and body before running off towards Station Road. One of the victim’s friends administered first aid before seeking help from nearby houses, at which point the emergency services were called.

Officers helped give first aid while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. The victim had sustained a collapsed lung and required life-saving surgery. Officers managed to trace Butler to a block of flats in Grovesnor Road where further witnesses provided further evidence that Butler was responsible for the attack.

Butler was arrested in April 2022 and subsequently charged with attempted murder and possession of a knife or sharp-pointed article in a public place. He denied the charge but was found guilty on April 17 following a trial at Basildon Crown Court.

At the same court on Friday (16 June) he was sentenced to 24 years in prison. Detective Inspector Kev Hughes said: “This incident could have easily become fatal. Our investigation established this was a premeditated act. Curtis Butler carried out a brutal and targeted attack which left the victim fighting for his life.

“The victim was made to re-live the suffering through a trial, as Curtis Butler refused to admit his guilt. He has now accepted he was responsible, but this has come too late, and his sentence reflects that. This young man will now spend a significant amount of time in prison as a result. I want to commend the quick thinking and actions of the victim’s friend and the officers who were first on scene and administered lifesaving first aid before the paramedics arrived.”

References

1. ^{^} Court reports and crime news from Essex (www.essexlive.news)