CBS
A vicious gang of teenagers chased and brutally attacked a man in St Helens town center, repeatedly stabbing him while shouting racial slurs. The assailants, Jack Mather, Dillon Smith, and Harry Holcroft, all 19 years old, pursued Santosh Surendra in the early hours of October 21, 2023, after following him from the Duke of Cambridge pub on Duke Street.
The unprovoked attack occurred around 4:30 a.m., under the cover of darkness. Mather and Holcroft violently assaulted Mr. Surendra, punching, kicking, and stamping on him while screaming racial epithets. The prolonged and persistent attack left the victim with numerous stab wounds, a collapsed lung, and “blood dripping down his back and arms.” The investigation could not determine whether the stab wounds were inflicted by Mather or Holcroft.
Mather, of Gerards Lane, St Helens, and Smith, of Lakemoor Close, initially denied the charges but pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding after a four-day trial in April. Both appeared for sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court on June 11, reported Liverpool.
Prosecutor Gerry Baxter revealed that Mather and Smith had known Mr. Surendra for ten years, though they had a falling out in 2023. On the night of the attack, all four men had been drinking at the Duke of Cambridge pub when Mr. Surendra noticed the group “giving him the side eye” before they followed him into the street at closing time.
“Mr. Surendra started to run because he knew the three men wanted trouble. As he ran, they cut him off. One of them said they wanted to speak to him, but they started kicking and punching him,” Baxter said. “Mr. Surendra saw Mather take something from his waistband, a screwdriver or something similar. He was stabbed in his back and chest. The men were shouting ‘p’ and ‘n*r’. They knocked him to the floor and continued to stab, kick, and stamp on him. They also called him a nonce.”
When the attack ceased, Mr. Surendra managed to get to his feet despite feeling dizzy and bleeding heavily. Fortunately, patrolling police officers spotted him and took him to Aintree Hospital, where he was treated for a collapsed lung.
CCTV footage of the attack was recovered, and a jacket with Mr. Surendra’s blood on it was found in Holcroft’s home. During police interviews, all three defendants largely remained silent, except for Smith, who dismissively said of the CCTV evidence, “I am just telling you now, that picture, whatever you were saying, got f*** all. I’m just on that picture going home, so whatever you want to try and do with that you can, but that’s it.”
In court, Anthony O’Donohoe, defending Mather, described his client as a thoughtful individual who lost his temper due to allegations against Mr. Surendra. Miles Wilson, defending Smith, argued that his client did not participate in the stabbing and had broken away from the group during the chase.
However, Judge David Potter noted Smith’s extensive criminal record and emphasized the seriousness of the offense. “This must have been a frightening event for a young man, being confronted by three others and wounded in a vulnerable part of his body. It’s also an aggravating factor that someone in that group was using racist language towards him.”
Judge Potter sentenced both Mather and Holcroft to 22 months in a young offenders institution. Holcroft, of Lowfield Lane, will be sentenced on July 8, having been found guilty by a jury in April.
