A Seaton man has been jailed after arming himself with two kitchen knives and stabbing a defenceless man who laughed at him. Daniel Flynn, 44, was drunk when he fell over and hit his head near his Harbour Road home in the early hours at the end of May. Two men walking nearby laughed at him, and Flynn ran to his flat, grabbed two kitchen knives, and chased them down the road.
Exeter Crown Court heard that one of the chased men tripped and fell onto the road, and Flynn stabbed him once in the chest before running home. The victim, in his 40s, was airlifted to hospital and treated for a chest wound.
In CCTV footage shown to the court, Flynn was seen shouting that he was going to kill the men.
Barrister Mary McCarthy, defending, said Flynn wanted to scare the men. She said they had also been drinking while watching a football match in a local pub and were looking for somewhere to stay the night. She told the court that Flynn, a cannabis user, was "mortified" by what he had done, adding that he suffers with anxiety and depression and did not normally drink alcohol.
Flynn, a gardener, admitted wounding with intent and two counts of possessing a bladed article in a public place. He was jailed for three years.
Judge Matthew Turner said Flynn armed himself with the knives and the victim was lying on the road defenceless when he was stabbed. The judge made no order for compensation or costs.
Police were called to Seaton in the early hours of Sunday, May 31, 2026, following reports of a serious assault in Harbour Road at around 1am. A man with stab wound injuries was taken to hospital by air ambulance, and Flynn was arrested a short time later. Harbour Road was cordoned off, and there was a heavy police presence in the area while enquiries were carried out.
Seaton Man Jailed for Stabbing Defenceless Man Who Laughed