George Bennett was warned he faced a life sentence due to his record of violent crimes
George Bennett, of Fulwood Drive, Long Eaton(Image: Merseyside Police)
A dangerous teenager narrowly escaped a life sentence after stabbing another man in the back outside a Southport pub. George Bennett, 19, had already racked up a number of serious violence convictions before knifing his victim on the night of October 18 2024.
His run-ins with the law began in September 2020, when he committed an assault causing grievous bodily harm at the age of 14. Two months later, at the age of 15, he attacked another boy with a knife and was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.
In January 2021 he was sentenced to two and a half years in a young offenders institution for the offences he committed aged 15. The following month, he received a 12-month detention and training order for the assault he committed aged 14.
In August 2022, while serving his sentence, he committed a further assault against another inmate using an “improvised weapon”. He was subsequently handed a further 16 months detention for affray in relation to the “frenzied attack”, in which the other male was repeatedly punched him and stabbed with the makeshift weapon, fashioned from a pen.
Bennett, of Fulwood Drive, Long Eaton, appeared again at Liverpool Crown Court today, April 25, having pleaded guilty to another charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
At the case’s opening last month, it was heard how victim Reece Ashall had been enjoying a night out in the Fox and Goose pub in Southport on October 18 last year. CCTV footage captured shortly before 11.30pm showed him speaking to another man, Jacob Cleaver beside the bar while “seeming to be either calming him down or ushering him away”.
Cleaver then “very quickly punched him with some force to his face”, causing him to fall to the floor. He continued to kick out at and push Mr Ashall before Bennett approached the melee with a knife in his right hand and stabbed the victim in the back.
A third defendant, Jamie Turner, was initially seen to grab the knifeman’s arm before attempting to pull Cleaver away from the victim. However, he then “became embroiled in the scuffle” and behaved aggressively towards door staff who were attempting to break up the fight.
Ms Ashall was taken to hospital, where he remained for six days. He suffered a collapsed lung, which required three blood transfusions and a chest drain.
Cleaver, of Trafalgar Square in Long Eaton, was sentenced to 14 months in prison, while Turner, of Sandford Avenue in Long Eaton, was jailed for eight months.
Bennett’s sentencing was adjourned until today, April 25, as he was warned he faced a life sentence due to his record of violent crimes.
Robert Wyn Jones, defending, said: “He is described within the psychiatric report as suffering from general anxiety disorder and ADHD, and no more than that. But the author goes into his background, and a very troubled history.
“What does shine through is that this is young man who has demonstrated, against his background of trauma, insight and more recently remorse. He describes having empathy with his recent victim, Reece Ashall.”
He said Bennett had shown “a determination to change” and “a strong desire to turn his life around.” He said: “He was still just 18 when the most recent offences were committed in October last year. In my submission, it would be wrong at this stage in his life to throw away the key and consider a life sentence.”
Sentencing Bennett, Judge Brian Cummings KC said: “You went equipped with a knife. You had a knife on you already. Pausing to outline the seriousness of this, if the victim had died, that would be murder, and you would be looking at life with a minimum of 25 years in prison.
“He didn’t die, you’re lucky about that, but that is the sort of serious consequence you have to exposed yourself to and now you need to keep that clearly in mind going forward.”
He declined to pass a life sentence, but said: “There’s a significant risk of you committing further offences and causing serious harm to others. That’s the reality. I can’t shy away from it given your history
“I must therefore consider whether the fixed term sentence of six years would provide the public with sufficient safeguards, or what other protective sentence is required, either a life sentence or an extended sentence, and I have considered that carefully.
“A life sentence is a sentence of last resort. You’re still only 19…. I turn to the extended sentence. In my judgement that’s absolutely required and justified in your case.”
He sentenced Bennett to a total 11 year extended sentence, with six years in custody and a further five years on licence conditions following his release.
He also made a serious violence reduction order, giving police powers to stop and search Bennett for weapons at any time for two years following his release from prison.