Akwia Bryant, 24, was initially charged with attempted murder; however, she pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent rather than the more serious charge. On the evening of November 21 at around 10:40 p.m. GMT, he assaulted his victim, aged 28 and living in Town Street in Armley. Byryant was sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison and must serve an additional four years of probation after his release.
The victim suffered serious injuries to the neck, chest, back and stomach and went into cardiac arrest before being taken to hospital for treatment. Due to the fact that a stab wound to his neck had penetrated his jugular vein, emergency surgery had to be performed on him, and he is currently in serious condition. Doctors said he is extremely lucky to have lived. The attack, in which Bryant chased his victim and repeatedly stabbed him, was captured on CCTV, leading to the identification of Bryant as the perpetrator.
The next day he surrendered to the authorities. According to Chief Detective Inspector James Entwistle, “Bryant inflicted such severe injuries on the victim in this targeted attack that the victim had an incredible chance of surviving.” He expressed his hope that the ‘meaningful’ prison sentence would ‘send a very clear message to those who think they can carry and use knives without facing the consequences’. He said he hoped the phrase would “send a very clear message” to those people. Bryant, who once lived on Wesley Road in Armley, pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon in separate court proceedings and was sentenced to a concurrent one-year prison term. A victim surcharge in the amount of $228.00 was also added to his sentence.
