14 years jail for young man who attacked mum’s lover with a machete

A teenager who hacked at a man with a machete in front of children on their way to school has been jailed for 14 years.

Birmingham Crown Court heard how Carl Gamble was angry that the man had struck up a relationship with his mother.

The 51-year-old turned up at Gamble’s home in Lowerstack Croft, Chelmsley Wood, on the morning of 26th January in an attempt to clear the air − but he flew into a rage and chased him into Tile Cross Road with a machete.

The victim suffered very serious slash wounds, with one laceration to an arm cutting down to the bone, while his right ear was almost completely severed.

Gamble – who donned a ski mask before striking – fled the scene in a blue BMW but as the police net closed in on him the 19-year-old handed himself into Stechford police station six days later.

He denied all involvement and claimed to have been sleeping at a friend’s house in Balsall Common at the time of the machete attack.

And at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday (11th August) he was jailed for 14 years having been found guilty of wounding and possessing an offensive weapon.

Investigating officer, PC Megan Parry from Force CID’s Violent Crime Team, described the attack as sickening.

She added: “It was a horrendous incident and one that caused panic on the morning with families on the school run among those witnessing what happened.

“This could easily have been a murder enquiry. Thankfully the man survived but will have the physical and psychological scars of this attack for life.

“We seized Gamble’s car and made repeated arrest attempts for him at various addresses in the days after the attack.

“He was hiding but knew it was only a matter of time before we got him…so on February 1 he handed himself in to a police station.

“He will spend many years behind bars as a result of his actions.”

Read more: https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/latest-news/news.aspx?id=4852