‘The scars serve as a constant reminder of what happened’
Joel Cantrell(Image: Merseyside Police)
A teenager who was stabbed in a “random and unprovoked” attack had to drop out of college because he was suffering from “severe anxiety”. The victim was subjected to a brutal attack after an argument over a vape erupted during post-exam celebrations.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, January 10, that a number of teenagers had gathered by the beach at Cubbins Green in Caldy, Wirral, on June 16 2023 in order to celebrate the end of their GCSE examinations. The teenager was celebrating what should have been “one of the happiest days” of his life, but it ended in horror when he was brutally stabbed by Joel Cantrell, who was 17 at the time.
In a statement read to the court on his behalf, the victim described impact on his life following the attack, including missing a year of college and cancelling concerts and other things he used to enjoy due to “fear and anxiety”.
The ECHO reported at the time that hundreds of children were present in the area on the Friday evening in question. The court heard how a 17-year-old co-defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, approached another boy and asked to borrow his vape at around 7pm. But the teenager instead walked away with the e-cigarette and refused to hand it back before throwing it back and forth with another male.
He then attempted to kick the victim in the stomach, although the boy was able to grab his foot and send him to the floor. But the assailant’s party then “viciously attacked” the youngster, grabbing him by his rucksack as he attempted to flee and dragging him to the ground.
The teen was punched and kicked by three attackers as he curled into a ball before Cantrell produced a knife and repeatedly stabbed him to the right arm and leg, in an incident which was captured in mobile phone footage. The victim’s friends used bandanas as makeshift tourniquets in order to stem his bleeding in the aftermath of the brutal assault.
He was rushed to Arrowe Park Hospital and was found to have suffered a series of lacerations to his elbow, thigh and calf, wounds which were closed by sutures. Cantrell admitted wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
In the statement read out to the court on the victim’s behalf, he said: “On what should have been one of the happiest days of my life – the last day of high school, a day meant for celebrating with friends – I was stabbed.
“This attack was completely random and unprovoked. I’ve never had issues with anyone and I’m not the kind of person to get into conflicts, so the sheer senselessness of it has left me shocked and deeply shaken. Since that day, my life has changed drastically. I now suffer from severe anxiety, especially when leaving the house or being in large crowds.
“Even things I used to enjoy are no longer the same. I had two concerts booked following the incident, but I couldn’t bring myself to attend them because of my fear and anxiety.
“The scars serve as a constant reminder of what happened. I felt so intimidated and unsafe after the incident that I left college. This attack has stolen more than just my sense of safety. It’s affected my education, my friendships, my confidence and my ability to enjoy life the way I used to.
“Every day I deal with the consequences of someone else’s actions, and it’s something I’ll likely carry with me for the rest of my life. This caused me to lose an entire year of education as I wasn’t able to start a new course right away.”
Cantrell was sentenced to two years and 10 months in a young offenders’ institute and handed a 10-year restraining order. His co-defendant pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was remitted back to the youth court for sentencing.