Man jailed for five years after chainsaw attack in the street in Lincoln

A Lincoln man who carried out a street attack on another man with a chainsaw was today (Thursday March 28) jailed for five years.

Andrew Roberts, 30, admitted causing a 10cms wound to the victim's back after wielding the electric machine during an attack in Winn Street, Lincoln, on March 13 last year.

Lincoln Crown Court heard the victim - a self employed painter and decorator - was walking home from the Birdcage pub when he became involved in an altercation with a group of men who he believed were dealing drugs.

Jeremy Janes, prosecuting, said there was no grudge between the victim and the men but at some point he was stabbed by an unidentified attacker.

Mr Janes said the victim was then attacked by Roberts - who was an old school colleague - as he tried to crawl away from the front door of a property on Winn Street.

"At this point he (the victim) felt the chainsaw cutting into his back and he heard the the chainsaw revving," Mr Janes added.

The court heard police found the victim walking in a nearby street without his top and bloodied.

He was taken to hospital where it was confirmed the victim had suffered a 10cms wound to his back and a defensive injury to one of his hands - both sustained from the chainsaw.

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Police found the chainsaw, which contained traces of the victim's blood, hidden under a bunk bed at an address in Winn Street after noticing blood outside. Roberts was arrested in nearby Lytton Street.

In an impact statement taken before Roberts admitted his offending, the father-of-three described how he suffered horrendous injuries which left him with physical and mental scars.

The victim said at that time he was reluctant to play with his three children and was conscious that the wound had only narrowly missed his spine.

In a further impact statement which was taken after Roberts pleaded guilty, the victim said he was now getting over the psychological harm and was back at work.

Roberts, of Lytton Street, Lincoln, admitted a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm on 13 March 2023.

Anna Soubry, mitigating for Roberts, said all his problems came from his previous use of illegal drugs.

"His memory of that evening is fuzzy because of the amount of illegal drugs he took," Miss Soubry told the court.

"He accepts he did not touch the trigger of the chainsaw accidentally. "

Miss Soubry said the defendant was now a "very different young man," and trying to be a good father to his children.

Passing sentence Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight told Roberts: "Attacks with chainsaw are fortunately rare.

"It is therefore good fortune the victim was not more seriously injured."

Speaking after the case, DC Liam Henderson from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Lincoln - lead investigator in the case - said: “This was a horrific incident whereby the victim received horrendous injuries, for which he will bear scars for the rest of his life.

“The Response Officers who found the victim during proactive patrols are a credit to the force, and their actions meant the victim quickly got the medical help he needed while allowing investigations to progress efficiently.

“CID conducted an extremely thorough investigation, including dealing with complex forensics and conducting CCTV enquiries. Their hard work resulted in Roberts changing his plea to guilty at a later date because of the overwhelming evidence we gathered against him.

“I hope today’s result brings the victim some form of closure and I am pleased that we were able to bring the offender to justice”.