A man has been jailed for four and a half years after stabbing a fellow holidaymaker three times in the abdomen during an unprovoked attack at Flamingo Land Resort in North Yorkshire, leaving the victim’s family describing the ordeal as “mental torture” that continues to affect them months later.
Joshua Donnelly, 22, of Duxford Road, Middlesbrough, plunged a four-inch kitchen knife into the 38-year-old victim’s abdomen shortly after 1am during a chaotic early-hours incident. The victim, a father who was staying nearby with his family, had attempted to calm a domestic dispute involving Donnelly and his partner when Donnelly grabbed the black-handled knife from a caravan kitchen drawer and launched the attack.
The victim collapsed with devastating injuries, including a punctured colon, and was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery. Donnelly fled the holiday park before police arrived, but officers launched an urgent search and stopped a car he was travelling in later that day after it crossed into the Cleveland Police area. He was arrested and taken into custody in Scarborough.
A gardener working at the resort later found the knife hidden in nearby bushes, and forensic tests linked the weapon to both Donnelly and his victim. Detectives also gathered witness accounts and CCTV footage from the area. Faced with overwhelming evidence, Donnelly was charged and appeared at York Magistrates’ Court on 20 September, where he was remanded in custody due to the seriousness of the offence and the risk he posed to the public.
At York Crown Court on Friday, Donnelly was sentenced to four and a half years in prison after admitting Section 18 wounding with intent.
Only after the case concluded did the full impact of the attack on the victim and his family become clear, through a statement read to the court. “Whilst on holiday at the park we had a great time, I was there with my partner, my son, and my brother along with his family,” the victim said. “What was a family holiday, has turned into a nightmare, not only for myself but my wider family too. Since the incident happened back in September, my whole family has been affected in some sort of way. I feel my life has changed completely and I have struggled dealing with what has happened. I would describe it as mental torture. Because of my injuries, my nerves in my right leg have been damaged meaning it’s a lot weaker and different to what it was.”
The statement also revealed the toll on the victim’s 15-year-old son, who “hasn’t been the same since” and “hasn’t been at school since” witnessing the attack on his father.
Police Investigator Liberty Ashton, from Scarborough and Ryedale CID, said: “Due to the overwhelming evidence stacked against Joshua Donnelly, he was left with very little option but to plead guilty to this terrible, vicious offence that could so easily have taken an innocent man’s life. Despite surviving the unprovoked knife attack, it has had a huge, long-term effect on the victim and his family. They have had to learn to live with everything that this senseless violent act has left behind. I really hope the outcome at court provides them with some comfort and strength to move forward with their lives.”
