A man has been jailed for a stabbing in High Wycombe.
Florin Suta, aged 41, of Green Street, High Wycombe, pleaded guilty to one count each of Section 18 wounding with intent, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, and failing to comply with notification requirements at a hearing at Aylesbury Crown Court on 7 September.
Returning to the same court on Friday (1/12), Suta was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and will be on licence for two years upon his release.
At around 11.50pm on 14 July this year, an altercation involving several people took place on Green Street.
On arrival, officers located the victim, a man in his thirties, with a stab wound to his back.
Several members of the public identified Suta at the scene and notified officers that he was in possession of a knife so they arrested him.
CCTV footage showed that as the victim left an address along Green Street, Suta emerged from an adjacent alleyway and stabbed the victim once in the back. The victim fled and was pursued along the road by Suta, who then fell over.
Following his arrest, officers discovered Suta had been living at a different address to the one he provided, and had failed to notify police.
Suta is a registered sex offender and one of his requirements is to notify police of a change of address within three days of this change.
He was charged the following day.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Will Blundell, of South Buckinghamshire CID, said: “Suta attacked the victim with a knife in a targeted attack intending to cause injury. He then pursued the victim, who was running away from him, and was only prevented from causing further harm when he fell over.
“Suta remained in possession of the knife whilst he himself made a call to the police during which he showed no remorse for his actions.
“A large number of members of the public came out onto the street due to the disturbance and thankfully, no one else was injured as Suta continued to walk along the road armed with the knife prior to officers arriving.
“I would like to thank the members of the public that aided officers in swiftly identifying Suta at the scene, and those who assisted in the subsequent investigation.
“I am pleased that the strength of the evidence led to an early guilty plea and that Suta has received a custodial sentence.
“We are resolute in our determination to make our communities safer by removing knives from our streets and will not tolerate serious violence or knife carrying in the Thames Valley.
“Be under no doubt, if you are caught in possession of a knife in South Buckinghamshire, Operation Deter will pursue you, arrest you and place you before the courts.
“My message to the community is if you have any information about anybody who is carrying a knife, please report this to us, either on 101 or by calling the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111.”