Two young men from Huntingdon attacked a Latvian man as he was the next to walk past

Eric Teibans, 23, was stabbed three times, with one wound puncturing his lung, in an attack by Zane Harrison, 17, and Matthew Douglas, 22, that was described as a “pursuit of excitement”.

The pair had been outside Douglas’s home in Nene Road in the early hours of February 12 when they and a third man, who was not prosecuted, plotted the attack.

Mr Teibans had been walking home from a party in Huntingdon town centre at 3am when he was approached by Douglas, who asked for a cigarette.

The Latvian said that he didn’t smoke and also declined an offer to go back to Douglas’s house to join a party.

Douglas then punched Mr Teibans before Harrison stabbed the Latvian twice in the back. The third man knifed him in the chest.

Mr Teibans, who now lives in Germany, was then chased along Nene Road to a friend’s house in Norfolk Road. He was taken to Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon, where he was a patient for a week.

At Huntingdon Crown Court on Friday (August 17), Hugh Vass, prosecuting, described the attack as “completely and utterly unprovoked”. He added: “They obviously thought it was a good idea to stab someone for no apparent reason.”

Mr Vass said Douglas instigated the fight knowing he would be backed up by his two friends – and he knew they were armed had knives and would use them following an because of an incident earlier thatat night.

Nearly two hours prior to the attack, earlier Robert Seinfeld and a friend were was returning from the same party in Huntingdon with a friend when they were confronted by Harrison, Douglas, the third man and a young woman near Sallowbush Road.

Mr Seinfield was Harrison and Douglas watched as he was asked for a cigarette and stabbed a number of times by the third man, the court was told.

The attack on Mr Seinfeld has yet to be heard in court, but Harrison and Douglas have been picked out as being there, but not involved.

Mr Vass told the court that Harrison had a seven-year criminal history, including four counts of battery, and that the stabbing incident happened while he was on bail for the harassment of three men, who he had threatened to kill.

Douglas also had convictions for criminal damage and harassment.

Alison Summers, defending Harrison, said: “He had the knife on that evening because he had been having difficulties with people on the estate and was carrying it with him for protection.

“It was an act of drunken bravado, showing off in front of the peers who he was prepared to copy.”

In mitigation, Laura McGinty said her client Douglas didn’t know why he started the fight but had admitted that it was sheer stupidity.

She also said that Douglas wanted to be a good father to his baby son, who is less than a year old.

Judge Patrick Moloney said that he could see no other reason for the attack except for the “pursuit of excitement”.

“This was an unprovoked attacked done for fun, as they saw it, and for prestige. Mr Douglas took the leading role, instigating the attack, knowing that Harrison had a knife and would use it,” he said.

“It was a miracle that the his wounds were not serious as stabbings of this kind could have killed.”

Douglas, who admitted wounding in a joint enterprise, at a previous hearing on July 9, was jailed for given three years in prison.

Judge Moloney sentenced Harrison, who he thought was a high risk to the public, to four years in prison for wounding with intent. He was also sentenced to with two years for possession of a knife to run, the sentences to run concurrently.

Harrison will also be subject to a He three-year was also placed under a supervision upon his order for three years when he is released.

The court also has allowed The Hunts Post’s application to name Harrison, who would normally be granted anonymity because of his age. Judge Moloney said naming the defendant would allow both the English and Eastern European communities to know the full circumstances, without which they may not have felt safe.