Gang jailed for nearly 40 years after attack on woman's ex-boyfriend

Two men are due to appear in court charged with the murder of a man in Leeds.

The ex-boyfriend of one of the attackers was beaten with a knuckeduster, suffering serious injuries.

The man, in his 20s, went to meet his ex-partner in Stanley Park on June 14, 2016, to visit their child – whom he had not seen for several months.

When his ex-partner was not there, he went to her home in Horsebridge Road and waited outside in his car.

As he waited a group of men opened the car doors and attacked him with a knife and a knuckleduster, causing serious slash injuries to his arm and wounds to his head.

They then fled the scene and the man went to his mother’s home, bleeding heavily.

Charlotte Whittaker, 23, Jason Vicarage, 24, Kyle Blackie, 25, and Ricky Andrewatha, 24, denied Section 18 assault but were convicted at Preston Crown Court, following a four week trial.

The court heard Whittaker had previously been in a relationship with the man which had ended badly.

Det Con Steve Costello, of Lancashire Police’s West Division, said: “This was a planned premeditated attack instigated by the victim’s ex-partner and carried out by her new boyfriend and his associates.

“The victim was lured to Stanley Park on the pretext he would be able to see his child.

“However due to unforeseen circumstances the attack did not take place there and the victim, oblivious to what had been planned, drove the short distance to his ex-partners address to see his child as arranged.

“There, four males attacked him, some with weapons, as he sat in his car leaving him with significant injuries.

“Thankfully he was able to provide some protection to his head and face with his arms or I fear we may have been dealing with even more serious injuries.”

Judge Robert Altham ruled Andrewatha, of Lloyds Terrace, Doncaster, was a dangerous offender and jailed him for 10 years with an extended licence of five years.

Whittaker, of Horsebridge Road, Blackpool, was jailed for eight years and 10 months; Vicarage, of Stoneclose Avenue, Doncaster, was jailed or nine years and eight months; Blackie, of Church Street, Preston, was jailed for nine years and three months.