A man who stabbed a 16-year-old girl in the leg in Harrow after she refused to give him her number has been jailed for 62 months.
Desmond Brooks, 19, and of no fixed address, appeared at Inner London Crown Court on Tuesday 11 May where he pleaded guilty to one count of grievous bodily harm with intent and one count of racially aggravated common assault.
The court heard how on the morning of 20 October 2020 Brooks approached a 16-year-old girl and her male friend on the high street outside Harrow on the Hill Underground station and asked for her phone number and snapchat username.
The pair told Brooks to leave them alone before he became abusive, saying he would “shank” and “chef” them up.
He then followed them into the Underground station and began making racist remarks to the man, who turned around and confronted him. Brooks responded by punching him in the face.
The girl wrestled with Brooks before he stabbed her in the thigh and ran out of the station. She was taken to a local hospital where she received six stiches in her leg.
Brooks was later identified, located and arrested by officers before being conveyed to police custody for questioning.
On Friday 2 July, a judged sentenced him to five years and two months imprisonment – 56 months for grievous bodily harm with intent and six months for racially aggravated common assault.
Detective Constable, David Graney, said: “This was a vicious and senseless act of violence and it’s fortunate that Brooks’ 16-year-old victim wasn’t more seriously injured.
“Violent and racially aggravated crimes have no place on the railway and the sentence handed down to Brooks sends a clear message about the consequences of such crimes.
“I’m happy to see he will spend the foreseeable future behind bars – he’s shown himself to be a violent and dangerous individual.
“Thankfully incidents like this are extremely rare on the railway network.”
Source: British Transport Police
