Teen with knife threw Molotov cocktail but ended up getting stabbed

Thomas Gray threw a flaming bottle of cider at a group he was in an altercation with, having become embroiled in the world of drugs.

But the now 19-year-old ended up worse for wear after being caught on doorbell footage staggering home with a stab wound.

He appeared before Liverpool Crown Court after admitting burglary, threatening a person with a blade in public, possession of an offensive weapon in public and affray

Opening the case for the prosecution, Christopher Taylor said that on May 8 this year, the occupants of a house on Heralds Close in Widnes went to bed.

But in the early hours of the following morning, they were woken by a neighbour who saw three people leaving their address.

The property was checked and the rear patio doors were open, with items moved around a desk, but nothing having been stolen.

Fingerprints found in the address matched Gray’s, as did footprints that matched his trainers, with the defendant arrested nearby at his Crown Avenue home.

He was released on conditional bail after answering ‘no comment’ to all questions during his police interview – meaning the events that followed occurred while on police bail.

On May 25, a 999 call was made by the defendant’s father stating that Gray had been stabbed outside his home, with police and paramedics deployed to Crown Avenue.

Officers checked the property’s doorbell footage and saw the defendant running outside with a bottle of cider with a flaming fabric in the top, which was then thrown at nearby men on bikes.

Footage played in court also revealed Gray returned to the address, before leaving again with a knife tucked into the back of his shorts.

He again returned a short time later, shirtless and with a wound, shouting ‘ring me a f*****g ambulance’ following what the prosecution said was an ‘altercation’ with the men on bikes.

Thomas Gray was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

Police found the knife in his kitchen sink, with the court hearing that the investigation into the stabbing remains ongoing.

It was said that the defendant had been involved in the county lines supply of illegal drugs using young people, with proceedings against him discontinued due to ‘issues around modern slavery’ in his case.

“The court will know when drugs are lost, there is a substantial debt. It is highly likely this defendant was subject to such a debt, and that may well be the overriding background in this case,” Mr Taylor said.

After his release from hospital, Gray was arrested and again answered no comment during his police interview.

It was said that the knife cut his heart and filled his lungs with blood, with doctors telling him that he was ‘lucky to survive’.

Mr Taylor said that Gray has two previous convictions for knife possession offences as a juvenile, both found during a police stop and search.

In mitigation on behalf of his client, Mark Shanks highlighted how the defendant’s supportive family were in court with him, and how he had a ‘difficult’ start to his life.

“He became embroiled in the drugs world, and in this case, a view was taken that because nothing happened to the defendant for the drug matters, he owed the gang a debt, and that he was some sort of grass. There was a considerable threat to his life,” he said.

“He is under absolutely no illusion that an immediate custodial sentence is most likely today. He is eager to leave his teenage years behind him.”

Before sentencing, judge David Aubrey said: “This was an offence of retribution, but regrettably, you have no compunction or hesitation when circumstances to arm yourself with a blade.

“Drugs and knives frequently go glove in hand. When will young men realise the folly of carrying knives?

“It seems when many young men leave their house, they take with them their mobile phone, house keys and a knife. When will young men learn? You were stabbed. You could easily have been killed.

“The court has come to the conclusion that these offences are so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence is justified.”

Gray, of Crown Avenue in Widnes, was sentenced to 15 months detention in a young offender institution.