Pair jailed after GBH attack on man in Bristol

A man and a woman have been jailed for their roles in a serious assault in Bristol in September last year.

Mark Grinnall, 51, and Katrina Henson, 48, were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 27 March) after pleading guilty to attacking a man at an address in Jamaica Street.

The victim – who is a man in his 40s – required procedures in hospital over several weeks after sustaining a knife wound to his chest.

Grinnall and Henson arrived at the residential property at about 7.40am on Friday 27 September and were able to access the communal area of the building when another resident left.

A short time later the victim left his flat and was attacked by both Grinnall and Henson. He was punched and wounded with a knife.

Henson and Grinnall subsequently fled the scene leaving the victim. A building contractor came to his aid and called the emergency services.

The victim, in a statement prepared for the court, said the attack continues to affect him physically, emotionally, psychologically, and financially. He fears going about his daily life, even though he now lives elsewhere.

Detectives believe the offenders mistook the victim for someone else, based off of comments recorded on CCTV cameras.

The pair were identified by officers from the CCTV footage and were arrested on Wednesday 2 October on suspicion of attempted murder. Grinnall was found hiding in a garden shed at a property and made remarks, which were caught on an officer’s bodyworn camera, stating he thought the victim may well have been killed.

Grinnall, of no fixed address, and Henson, of Bishopsworth, were both charged with attempted murder, however guilty pleas to assault causing grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article were accepted by the court at a previous hearing.

A prison sentence of five years and four months was handed to Grinnall, while Henson was jailed for four years and eight months. Both will serve a minimum of two-thirds of their sentence before being eligible for release.

His Honour Judge Michael Cullum said the pair tricked their way into the building and clearly had planned to attack someone due to the presence of a knife.

Officer in the case, PC Abdo Al Arab, said: “Katrina Henson and Mark Grinnall carried out a brutal attack and fled the scene with seemingly no thought to the man they had severely injured.

“Six months on from the assault and the victim continues to be impacted both mentally and physically by what took place.

“The comments made by Grinnall on arrest show that he himself thought the attack was sufficiently serious that it could have had fatal consequences and his main concern appeared to be what he was being arrested for, and not the welfare of the man he and Henson seriously hurt.

“The victim’s support throughout this investigation has been important to help us bring these two offenders before the courts and we hope he continues to recover from this horrendous ordeal.”