Blackpool man Kris Kam's family say they are "devastated and deeply affected" by his death, as his killers are jailed for manslaughter

Knifeman Christopher Carrington, 26, of no fixed address, was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter and was given 20 years, with an extended licence of three years.

Carrington, described as being 'obsessed' with knives, will serve two thirds before the Parole Board considers whether he can be released.

Co-defendant Kevin Gracia, 26, of Hilltop Avenue, London, who was also found guilty of manslaughter, received nine years and nine months.

Their co-defendants Munochismo Eriken, 28, of South Green, London, and Shaquille Cumberbatch, 27, of Montrose Avenue, Edgware, London, were found not guilty of murder.

Mr Kam, 35, was attacked on Queen Victoria Road, Blackpool, close to the junction with Levens Grove, Blackpool, on October 26 last year.

Various pieces of CCTV evidence had shown the defendants in a VW Golf driving around the areas of Grasmere Road, Bela Grove and Wyre Grove before the attack.

Mr Kam's friend and housemate had lent him his bank card so he could borrow and withdraw £10 from an ATM at the nearby McColl's. Mr Kam was cycling back from McColl's when the men pulled up in the VW Golf and set upon him.

The attack, in which Carrington stabbed him, was witnessed by a 12-year-old boy, who was on top of a disused shipping container near the Revoe School, and a woman who lived nearby, who heard shouts of: "You've got the wrong man" and "Help, I've been stabbed."

Despite their attempts to help him, and surgery to repair a severed popliteal artery in his leg, Mr Kam died in the Blackpool Victoria Hospital at around 8.24pm on Sunday, October 27, 2019.

A post mortem examination found he had suffered three stab wounds.

In a harrowing statement, Mr Kam's eldest brother, Geoffrey, who attended court to watch the men being sentenced, said his family had been left "devastated and deeply affected" by his death, which happened only a year after Mr Kam and his two brothers had lost their mum.

Mr Kam had been helping care for their brother Gary who was not in good health.

He added: "He had the rest of his life to live and enjoy.

"From the moment I received that knock on the door by the police my whole life has been turned upside down and I do not think I'll ever be same

"I dream at night that Kris is still alive but on waking reality hits home and I become upset.

"We had planned to go for a drink to celebrate his birthday but instead I found myself planning his funeral."

"He adored his family and was very protective of us.

He said he was distressed by thoughts about what his brother went through, adding: "It hurts immensely that I was not there to protect him when he needed me the most."

Sentencing the men, the Honorary Recorder of Preston, Judge Robert Altham said he needed to impose an extended sentence on Carrington to protect the public.

He said: " We know that Kris Kam was only 35 when he was killed in a cowardly attack by men armed with a knife.

"That day he presented no risk to anybody, he was effectively defenceless and I have no doubt he died without ever knowing why on earth he'd been attacked as he was.

"Those who take knives onto our streets need to understand the consequence of their cowardice is not only the loss of life that follows, but the lifelong effects on those who are left behind to pick up the pieces."

"Having left him fatally wounded these two defendants left the scene without a backward glance no one stopped to help him, no one stopped to see if he was OK.

The judge rejected claims Mr Kam was mistaken for Carrington's cannabis supplier

He said Carrington, who has a previous conviction for stabbing a man in a shopping centre, had a "fixation with ferocious knives" as he had filmed his collection of knives on videos on his phone while making threats, two of which were found in a flat on Central Drive.

Carrington and Cumberbatch were also found guilty of a street robbery the day before Mr Kam was stabbed, in which another man was knifed and had his phone stolen.

Cumberbatch got seven and a half years in prison.

The victim, Robbie Harrison, suffered a wound to his buttock, two broken cheekbones and was left unconscious in a pool of blood until passers by helped him.

When the victim's cousin rang the stolen phone, Cumberbatch taunted him that Mr Harrison's 'jaw was on the ground'.

In a victim statement Mr Harrison praised his supportive family and said: " Mentally after the attack I struggled immensely, I wouldn't leave the house...I heard the suspect who attacked me and possibly killed someone and kept thinking they could have done the same to me and I could have ended up dead.

"This attack is now part of me for the rest of my life."

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