Young man stabbed two teenagers after gate-crashing 18th birthday party near Kenilworth - and then boasted about it on Instagram

Young man who stabbed two teenagers at birthday party he gate-crashed near Kenilworth has been jailed

A young man who stabbed two teenagers who had challenged him over his behaviour after he gate-crashed a birthday party in a marquee at a house near Kenilworth has been jailed.

Tyreece Swaby had denied two charges of wounding with intent during the party, but was found guilty of both offences following a trial at Warwick Crown Court.

Swaby (19) of Bowls Court, Spon End, Coventry, who continues to protest his innocence, was given an extended prison sentence after the judge ruled him to be a dangerous offender.

As a result, he will serve at least six years of a nine-year jail term before the Parole Board will even consider freeing him, and once released will be on licence for the rest of that period and for an additional three years.

During the trial the jury heard that the incident took place in August 2019 at an 18th birthday party held in a marquee in the garden of a house in Meer End.

There were around 50 young people at the party, to which Swaby, who was 17 at the time, turned up uninvited with a friend.

As the evening progressed he got drunk and began behaving in an aggressive manner, seeking a confrontation, and two of the young men at the party stood up to him over his behaviour.

It ended with them putting him to the floor and holding him down before telling him to leave.

He did so, but only went as far as his car where he armed himself with a knife before returning to the party where he stabbed one of the young men twice to his side.

It caused internal injuries and that victim had to be rushed to hospital where he underwent emergency surgery, during which a portion of his intestine had to be removed.

He later developed an infection and had to be readmitted to hospital, where he spent three weeks, and he has continued to experience problems and lost an apprenticeship.

After stabbing that young man, Swaby also stabbed his other victim once before fleeing from the party – and later posted an Instagram message boasting of what he had done.

Anthony Bell, defending, said Swaby had had ‘a traumatic childhood,’ culminating in his mother’s death a short time before the stabbings, although ‘he has maintained his innocence.’

He argued that Swaby was not a danger, but Judge Anthony Potter commented: “It’s a serious aggravating feature that, having stabbed one person twice, he goes on to stab another person.”

Mr Bell responded: “These two incidents happened within seconds of each-other, and could well be seen as part of one incident, a parting shot as he left the party.”

Sentencing Swaby, Judge Potter told him: “I have to deal with you for two offences of wounding with intent, you having been convicted following a trial.

“It is a very sad fact that these courts, and courts nationwide, have to deal, with depressing regularity, with cases of this sort.

“It is plain that the impact of what happened is going to affect the lives of all three people involved and others who were at the 18th birthday party in a rural location. You attended for no obvious reason, you had not been invited and were not welcome.

“[The victims] were not prepared to be bullied by you, and they stood up to you. You felt humiliated by the fact that you were taken to the floor and sat on by them.

“Rather than leaving, you chose to take a weapon from your car and return to the party and first to stab one of them on two occasions and then to stab the other.

“This brought shock and panic to what was otherwise supposed to be a happy occasion, and you posted a taunting comment on your Instagram feed which was intended to be seen by both victims and showed an arrogant side to your nature.

“You told the jury you did not care and were not interested in how each man was and how they had recovered, this despite the fact they were of the same kind of age as you.

“You told the author of the pre-sentence report you believed you were only convicted because you were a young black man. Let me disabuse you of that – you were convicted because of the overwhelming evidence against you.

“There is no expression of remorse, and in the immediate aftermath you seemed proud of what you had done. It is plain you have no insight into your offending.”