Scarred for life: slashed open with a 13-inch blade (From Thisisdorset)
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Scarred for life: slashed open with a 13-inch blade
8:35am Monday 21st May 2012 in News By Jane Reader
Scarred for life: slashed open with a 13-inch blade
A MAN has been scarred for life after being slashed with a kitchen knife during an alcohol-fuelled argument with a “friend”.
Scaffolder Shaun Kelly needed emergency surgery and 38 stitches for facial injuries following the vicious early morning assault in Bournemouth’s Triangle area on March 25 last year.
Despite apologising on Facebook the next day, his attacker Joe Dunning, 24, went on the run and, following his arrest, denied being responsible for Mr Kelly’s injuries.
But he was found guilty of wounding with intent following a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court and is now awaiting sentence.
Jurors heard how violence had flared at a flat in Norwich Avenue West after a 14-hour drinking binge.
Mr Kelly from Walpole Road, Boscombe, told the Daily Echo: “Joe wanted to borrow £15 for a taxi fare but I hadn’t any money left. It just escalated; he pushed me and then I pushed him.
“I was speaking to someone else when he suddenly cut me open with the 13-inch blade before running out. I’d no idea how bad the injuries were; blood was seeping through a towel I was holding to my face and I was in a state of shock.”
Neil McCormack, whose home was the scene of the attack, phoned for an ambulance.
After being taken to the Royal Bournemouth Hos-pital, Mr Kelly was transferred to Poole Hospital for specialist treatment.
He said: “I was in surgery for five hours and on mor-phine so it was all a bit of blur.
“But when my family came to visit me I could tell, from their reaction, how bad I looked.”
On his release Mr Kelly went to Madrid to stay with an uncle.
He said: “I just had to get away; I tried to speak to Joe but he wasn’t prepared to talk to me so I spoke to the police instead.
“People were calling me a grass. It was a hard decision but it was the right thing to do.
“Reliving it in court brought all the memories flooding back; it was the first time I’d seen Joe since the attack but hearing he had been found guilty made it all worthwhile.”
While time is healing his physical scars, Mr Kelly is still emotionally damaged by the attack.
He said: “People look at me as if I’m some kind of violent thug; there’s no way I will ever be able to work in a club or a bar because appearances count.
“I don’t want Joe to be locked up forever but he has to realise that what he did was wrong.
“He will be out of prison after a few years but I will be judged for life; unless I get compensation for my injuries and can afford plastic surgery. I’ve had counselling which has helped.
“We had been friendly since mum, who knew Joe’s parents, introduced us when I was 10. In all those years I’d never even seen Joe involved in a fight.”
Dunning from Ladbroke Grove, South East London, will be sentenced on June 8 – Mr Kelly’s 24th birthday.
He said: “I know Joe will find being locked up very difficult.
“But he’s destroyed our friendship and I will be celebrating for all the wrong reasons.”
Comments(23)
Sam Shepherd
says...
9:31am Mon 21 May 12
Chugwater wrote:We have some pictures taken last week, we're adding them now!
Why no recent picture if it happened 14 Months ago?
lisa401
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9:32am Mon 21 May 12
rudolph_hucker
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9:49am Mon 21 May 12
MikeFrench
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10:06am Mon 21 May 12
lisa401
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10:14am Mon 21 May 12
penhale
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10:58am Mon 21 May 12
MikeFrench wrote:I suspect this scumbag will plead that he's an alcoholic, druggie and has mental problems and the judge will award him a playstation, a sunshine break and all the help that's needed because he feels sorry for him, don't matter about the poor guy who's had his face cut to shreds though, that's typical British justice these days.
Friend or no friend, hope he gets what he deserves
eekarat
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1:03pm Mon 21 May 12
rudolph_hucker wrote:Loving your name, man!!!
I hope he gets the compo he needs to get his face sorted out by a top placcy surgeon
Justin666
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1:36pm Mon 21 May 12
HRH of Boscombe
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2:17pm Mon 21 May 12
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Blame the person not the drink. They decided to drink it. Your attitude's exactly what's wrong with the world. No responsibility! Just always the governments fault. Idiot.
lisa401
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2:25pm Mon 21 May 12
HRH of Boscombe wrote:Absolutely.
Justin666 go back to Scrabble.
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Blame the person not the drink. They decided to drink it. Your attitude's exactly what's wrong with the world. No responsibility! Just always the governments fault. Idiot.
cashla
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3:41pm Mon 21 May 12
the tax payer will pay again and again, once through the first round of hospitals, 2nd though the manhunt for the attacker(?) again through the court system and again through the compo claim (where do you think the compo comes from if the out of work, imprisoned guilty party has no money?), and does the tax payer have to be happy about it?
Justin666
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3:44pm Mon 21 May 12
retry69
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6:02pm Mon 21 May 12
eekarat wrote:Totally agree yeah going off topic rudolph how come youve got away with your name for so long i got pulled over the coals for using mary hinge. lol
rudolph_hucker wrote:Loving your name, man!!!
I hope he gets the compo he needs to get his face sorted out by a top placcy surgeon
HRH of Boscombe
says...
11:50pm Mon 21 May 12
Justin666 wrote:Hahaha hit a nerve with the scrabble club I guess. You don't exactly seem like the sociable type lol.
HRH. I can see your level of education has left you somewhat bereft and unable to grasp, or indeed understand, quite what I wrote. Never mind, there is still time to hide your total ignorance by being a little more circumspect. Or perhaps, like the proverbial ostrich, you already live with your head buried in the sand exposing your thinking parts, or whatever they are, to the rest of the world.
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The desperate education jibe! Classic here. Maybe you can have a go at my spelling if I mis-key something anorak!
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People like you are a jeopardy to civilized society because you think people shouldn't be responsibly for their own actions. No it's the nanny state's fault for allowing us a drink. You are sick and your attitude makes me feel sick.
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You're the waste and contaminant to the healthy gene pool.
Jurasicle
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12:10am Tue 22 May 12
Jurasicle
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12:11am Tue 22 May 12
jane.t
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12:18am Tue 22 May 12
MikeFrench
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7:37am Tue 22 May 12
penhale wrote:Couldn't have put it better myself. I could go on a 14 hour 'bender' and the wrost thing that would happen is a typo or two......
MikeFrench wrote:I suspect this scumbag will plead that he's an alcoholic, druggie and has mental problems and the judge will award him a playstation, a sunshine break and all the help that's needed because he feels sorry for him, don't matter about the poor guy who's had his face cut to shreds though, that's typical British justice these days.
Friend or no friend, hope he gets what he deserves
Drink has nothing to do with this.......
Lord Elpas
says...
9:49am Tue 22 May 12
Justin666 wrote:I think you've nailed it on the head as this is the core issue to this sorry and wholly avoidable tale.
Perhaps this will draw others attention to what happens after a 14 hour drinking binge.
I think the message is - If you don't want to get hurt, don't get drunk, especially on a 14 hour bender!!!
young_but_not_dumb
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3:14pm Tue 22 May 12
Now i'm not saying anybody deserves to be attacked, especially by a friend, but am i the only one that seems to think there is more to this story?? Oh and mentioning compensation....the least surprising bit of the whole thing!!
FAT TONE
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6:56pm Wed 23 May 12
a bit of germolene could fix that in 10 days, its nothing.
facts81
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10:18am Fri 8 Jun 12
young_but_not_dumb wrote:I totally agree with you... All he seems to want is the compensation... The scar is not even that bad, so if he really wants to work in a club or a bar, he still can..... Can't even feel sorry for him, he sounds like scum.... So his "friend" who will probably get sent down, will serve his time but he will come out of this the better person.
I love how people always assume the so called 'victim' is completely innocent!! Although i did not witness the knife attack i know Shaun Kelly and he isn't the innocent little fella this article is portraying! He would take anything from anyone if he decided he wanted it, including his own mother! He has a major drug problem (especially coke) for instance his brother (who was in prison for beating up his girlfriend several times) gave Shaun the gift of his name spelt out in cocaine for his birthday! And just looking a little deeper into the story, Shaun was obviously involved with the '14hour drinking bender' - correct me if i'm wrong but how many people could do this without the help of drugs?
Now i'm not saying anybody deserves to be attacked, especially by a friend, but am i the only one that seems to think there is more to this story?? Oh and mentioning compensation....the least surprising bit of the whole thing!!
Chugwater says...
9:23am Mon 21 May 12