Walsall thug gets eight years for West Bromwich stabbing

A teenage thug was today starting an eight-year sentence behind bars after a "ferocious" knife attack on two fellow guests at an 18th birthday party in the Black Country.

Shaquille Ologitere, from Walsall, took terrible revenge when one of the victims accidentally bumped into him during the festivities, a judge heard yesterday.

The 18-year-old, who was "offended" by the incident, asked a friend for a knife and then plunged it six times into the body of Connor Rankine-Clift, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Ologitere stabbed the helpless 17-year-old in the stomach before hitting out five more times with the blade tearing into the chest and back, said prosecutor Mr Mark Rees.

Roy Bonnick, also aged 17, stepped in to try to shield his friend and was knifed in the stomach, the court heard.

Violence flared as the two youths left the party at the Robins Nest pub in Great Bridge Street, West Bromwich, on December 5 last year.

The attacker "muttered something" as Mr Rankine-Clift walked past him outside the premises, said Mr Rees. Somebody then passed Ologitere a black bandana holding the knife.

Mr Bonnick tried to break up the trouble, the court was told, but was stabbed.

Mr Rankine-Clift needed four days of hospital treatment to his wounds and Mr Bonnick had to be detained overnight.

Ologitere of Hough Road, Pleck, had a string of previous convictions for offences including assault, possession of an offensive weapon and using threatening words and behaviour.

Mr Sandeev Sharma defending said Ologitere had been invited to the birthday party and had not gone with the intention of causing trouble but drank heavily.

Ologitere admitted two charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and was ordered to be detained in a young offenders' institution by Judge Jonathan Gosling.

The judge told him: "The person you attacked had done no more than bump accidentally into you.

"You carried out this ferocious attack. Any one of those deliberately inflicted stab wounds could have caused fatal injury.

"You are a dangerous offender who showed a disregard for life."

By John Scott