A YOUNG man who lashed out with a kitchen knife injuring five people has been jailed for six years.
A judge said that chillingly, Christopher Thomas Rounding, 21, had spent half-an-
hour sharpening a knife that evening.
When trouble later broke out on a Deeside street he produced the knife and five young men ended up with stab or slash wounds.
At Mold Crown Court, sitting at Chester, Rounding was told he could easily have killed or seriously maimed any of his victims.
Rounding, who at the time was living at the Llys Emlyn Williams Hostel in Holywell, fled the scene and was only arrested following a police chase on the M56 as he made his way towards Manchester.
Rounding admitted injuring four men. He denied a fifth assault where the alleged victim refused to make a complaint and the charge was dropped by the prosecution.
Rounding admitted three charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and an assault charge.
He received three six year sentences and one three year sentence to run concurrently.
Judge Dafydd Hughes said Rounding was completely out of control that October night in Highmere Avenue, Connah’s Quay.
Rounding had no previous convictions and could not explain why he had acted in such a violent way – apart from claiming he was attacked and went over the top in his response.
“All these offences arise from a single incident which involve the use of a knife,” the judge said.
“You got yourself involved in an argument which was really nothing to do with you. When you went out you had a knife in your possession. It had a blade which was six inches or so in length.”
Rounding later told how he had kept the knife up his sleeve. He had asked to borrow a sharpener that evening and had spent half-an-hour sharpening the knife.
Judge Hughes said Rounding had the opportunity to get rid of the knife but kept hold of it and later lashed out indiscriminately.
“Anybody who arms themselves with knives and who use a knife must expect to be dealt with severely,” he said. “You were completely out of control that particular night.
“It is by good fortune alone rather than by any conscious decision on your part that you did not cause permanent damage or even death to one or more of your victims.”
Kate Meredith-Jones, prosecuting, said that on October 21 one of the victims, Joshua White, and two friends left a house party in Connah’s Quay, to go and meet a girl in Highmere Avenue.
They went to a nearby flat where Rounding and two others came out and there was an argument.
A fight started. Rounding became involved and in his basis of plea said he came under attack and was knocked to his knees by two people.
At that stage he took out his knife and he admitted stabbing four people.
Joshua White received two lacerations to the left shoulder and one which went through the muscles in his back.
Jonathan Aston had a laceration to the left ear which caused nerve damage to the face and he now had difficulty closing his left eye properly.
Alistair Cairney received two wounds to the shoulder blades and Lloyd Hewitt had three superficial stab wounds.
Richard Canning, defending, said Rounding had not gone out looking for trouble, but trouble came to him.
He had not gone out and randomly attacked people in the street for no reason.
“I am not seeking to justify his actions but there was at least an explanation. He was attacked and he went far too far in his response.”
The injuries he caused were not of the most serious kind and all the victims would quickly make a good recovery. None of the injuries had been life-threatening.
“He cannot really explain why he reacted in the way that he did,” said Mr Cairney.
“Perhaps he is minimising the effects of the alcohol he had drunk that night.”