Man jailed for double Pinner stabbing

A wanted criminal was given nearly two years in prison after he went on the run for eight months following a double stabbing in Pinner.

Phillip Wilson, 44, of Hemel Hempstead, fled the King George IV pub in Marsh Road, last January, after stabbing one man in the stomach and slashing another in the ear.

The attack, on men aged 52 and 20, left the pair needing urgent treatment at Northwick Park Hospital, where at first the older man's injuries were thought to be life threatening.

Fortunately they both recovered, but it was later discovered there was no security on the door of the pub when the stabbing took place at about 7.30pm on January 11.

But the weapon, a, kitchen knife with a four-inch blade, was found at the scene by forensic teams and the search for Wilson began.

He was then hunted by police for eight months before he was finally caught, thanks to an appeal on BBC television programme Crimewatch UK. The programme showed pictures of Wilson on September 11 and within two days he was arrested by Bedford Police and transferred back to Harrow.

Originally he pleaded not guilty to all charges and was set to stand trial this week.

However, he changed his plea at the 11th hour and was convicted of grievious bodily harm (GBH) and actual bodily harm (ABH) at Harrow Crown Court last Tuesday.

Judge Ronald Moss ordered Wilson to serve 20 months in jail for GBH and six months for ABH to be served concurrently, meaning he could be out in less than a year.

Ruth Boff, a spokeswoman for The Pinner Association, a group which looks after the interests of the residents in the village, said: "The Pinner Association congratulates the authorities on finding the man and we hope that this will act as a deterrent against violence in Pinner.

"It's a shock that something like this happened in the pub, but fortunately there has been no trouble there since and its reputation has improved vastly since the attack."