Peterborough woman sentenced for her role in incident which saw a man stabbed

Megan Sefton appeared at court yesterday where she was given a two year conditional discharge.

Her boyfriend, Donald Muns, and another man, Kyle Gilligan, were both given five year jail sentences earlier this year.

The “horrific and nightmarish” attack, which took place in Tyesdale, Bretton, Peterborough, was caught on CCTV.

The victim was stabbed at just after 2pm on 16 July, 2019. He was sat with two friends when Muns, 25, of Deerleap, Bretton, and Sefton, 23, of the same address, walked past.

After returning from the nearby shop, Muns and Sefton overheard the group’s conversation and began shouting and insulting them.

Sefton shouted to one of the group that she was going to have them “shanked” and at this point the victim stood up in an effort to stop the threats.

Muns approached the victim, gave another verbal insult and asked him to stop “being aggressive”. Muns told the victim he would also be “shanked” and walked off to join his girlfriend.

Muns disappeared from view for about 10 minutes but returned, together with Kyle Gilligan, 27, of no fixed address.

Both men walked quickly towards the victim before splitting up - Muns walking to the left and Gilligan to the right, behind the man.

Muns approached the victim and tried to punch him in the head but the victim noticed he had a knife in his waistband and tried to push him away.

Muns pulled the kitchen knife from his waistband and while he did so Gilligan stabbed the victim twice in the back. Muns just missed the man’s forearm with his own knife.

Both men walked away, with Sefton following them a short while later.

The victim, who is in his 50s, stayed at the scene, but felt pins and needles in his back and realised he had been stabbed. He required hospital treatment, with one of the stab wounds very close to his spine.

Muns handed himself in after a CCTV appeal and Gilligan and Sefton were later arrested. In police interview, Muns said the group were “drinking and getting loud” and he had told them to shut up which led to an argument and the victim offering to fight him.

He claimed he walked away and bumped into his friend, who he knew only as ‘K’. Muns claimed he carried a knife for his own protection.

Muns told officers the victim was taunting the way he walked due to his disability, and admitted punching him and pulling out the knife.

However, he claimed he didn’t know Gilligan had a knife or the victim had been stabbed, and claimed he wouldn’t have stabbed the man himself.

In interview, Gilligan answered “no comment” to all questions.

Sefton denied any wrongdoing and claimed she didn’t see anyone with a knife.

Gilligan and Muns later pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH). Sefton admitted affray.

DC Matt Belfitt, who investigated, said: “This was an horrific and nightmarish attack on a man who was essentially a stranger, and this case highlights the dangers of carrying a knife or weapon.

“Luckily the victim has made a full recovery but the consequences of this stabbing could have been so much worse.

“Had both men left the knives at home, the outcome would’ve been very different. This case highlights the dangers of carrying a knife or weapon and there is no excuse for doing so, including for protection.

“Knife crime is a priority for the force and we will continue to work tirelessly to take weapons off the streets.”