A ROBBERY victim who was stabbed in the leg lobbed a brick at his attacker when he saw him in a nearby corner shop.

Delroy May had gone to the Premier shop on Whitworth Road to ask for help after he was knifed by Stuart Randall, with whom he had partied the night before.

Swindon Crown Court heard delivery driver May had woken up between 5am and 6am on March 9 last year to find Randall standing above his bed holding two knives.

Randall had stabbed him in the thigh, the court was told. In the ensuing struggle May injured his hand on one of the blades. Randall fled with £700 in cash.

May stumbled from his partner’s flat at Arthur Miles Court, Upper Stratton, leaving behind his mobile phone in the confusion.

He drove to the Premier store on the Moonrakers roundabout, knowing it was one of the few places open at that time in the morning where he might be able to get help.

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But when he pulled up at the store he saw his attacker’s car outside. Fearing the worst, May grabbed a tow eye from his car then picked up a red brick from the pavement outside the corner shop.

May went inside and confronted Randall. In CCTV played to the court by prosecutor Mark Ashley, Randall could be seen tossing the stolen bank notes in the air. The video showed May brandishing the tow bar and throwing the brick so hard at Randall he slipped to the floor, causing his trousers to fall down.

He was arrested at the scene, where he explained to the constable who dressed his wounds that he had been stabbed by Randall. Police searched him and his car, finding a small amount of crack cocaine and cannabis.

May, of Tinkers Bridge, Milton Keynes, pleaded guilty to threatening another with an offensive weapon, possession of crack cocaine and cannabis.

Michelle James, for the probation service, said May had temporarily moved into his new partner’s Swindon flat in early 2019. The night before the assault he had been partying with his partner, Randall and another woman, who had moved in temporarily as they were homeless.

May had gone to bed to sleep off the effects of the alcohol and drugs he had taken. He was shocked to be woken in the early hours by Randall. The alleged stabbing so affected him he had to sleep with a weapon by his bed for many hours afterwards. He was extremely remorseful.

Nicholas Clough, defending, said a tragedy of the case was that his client had not been able to get his money back. Randall had thrown only £260 onto the floor of the store and, when he was jailed last year for robbery, asked prison staff to transfer the remaining £440. There was no prospect of it being returned.

Judge Jason Taylor QC said it would be unjust in the circumstances to impose a mandatory six-month prison sentence.

Sentencing Randall to 36 weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months, Judge Taylor said: “I take the view there is strong mitigation in this case. This was not you carrying out vigilante justice and seeking revenge. You went to that store to get help.”

May must complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation activity sessions.