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Croydon 'zombie knife': 'Lenient' sentence overturned Croydon 'zombie knife' sentence overturned
(about 1 hour later)
A teenager convicted for wielding a knife and trying to smash a car window has been jailed after appeal judges overturned his "lenient" sentence. A teenager who tried to smash a car window with a "zombie knife" has been jailed after appeal judges overturned his "lenient" sentence.
Joshua Gardner, 18, was filmed using the "zombie knife" in a Croydon street and admitted three charges when he appeared at the Old Bailey in November. Joshua Gardner, 18, who was filmed using the weapon in a Croydon street, admitted three charges when he appeared at the Old Bailey in November.
He received a two-year suspended sentence, which the Attorney General referred to the Court of Appeal. He received a two-year suspended sentence, which the attorney general referred to the Court of Appeal.
He has now been jailed for three-and-a-half years. Gardner has now been jailed for three and a half years.
On 30 May, Gardner, from London Road, Thornton Heath, was on a bicycle when he pulled up alongside car with a 19-year-old man inside. Lord Justice Leveson said the previous sentence was unduly lenient.
The man tried to drive off and almost made contact with Gardner's bike which led to him to attack the car and smash the passenger window with the large knife. "There can never be any excuse for carrying a weapon of the type this offender carried," he said.
Nobody was injured, but the Met said at the time they were treating the attack as attempted GBH. On 30 May, Gardner, from Thornton Heath, was on a bicycle when he pulled up alongside a car with a 19-year-old man inside.
In November, he was found guilty of attempting to cause GBH with intent and had previously admitted affray and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. The man tried to drive off and almost made contact with Gardner's bike, which led to him to attack the car and smash the passenger window with the large knife.
Judge Anuja Dhir QC sentenced him to a total of two years in prison for the GBH offence to run concurrently with 12 months in jail for the each of the knife and affray offences, suspended for two years. In November, he was found guilty of attempting to cause GBH with intent. He had previously admitted affray and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
Gardner was also given a nine-month curfew and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. Judge Anuja Dhir QC sentenced him to two years in prison for the GBH offence to run concurrently with 12 months in jail for the knife and affray offences, suspended for two years.
But, the teenager's suspended sentence drew criticism from the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the Met Police Supt Roy Smith said it was "not a deterrent". The sentence drew criticism from mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Met Police Supt Roy Smith, who said it was "not a deterrent".
The Attorney General's Office then received a referral for an "unduly lenient" sentence and the Solicitor General Robert Buckland passed it to the Court of Appeal due to the "serious nature of the offence concerned". Following the latest hearing, Mr Khan said: "I'm pleased the Court of Appeal has concluded that his sentence was unduly lenient and have sent him to prison."