Twelve Devon men and women locked up for violent knife crime

A new law banning machetes and other large killer blades comes into force this month. On September 24 it will be a criminal offence to possess these dangerous weapons.

The courts in Devon regularly see knife carriers jailed for their crimes. Whether the new law will see any reduction in the rate of offending will be interesting to see.

Some of the cases heard in Exeter have tragic outcomes. In 2024 alone four people have been jailed for knife-related deaths. Many others have been put away for acts of savage violence involving blades that have, often by pure chance, not led to fatalities.

Here are some of the most serious criminal cases involving brandishing, carrying or using knives, machetes and other blades in Devon this year.

READ MORE: Police chased Torquay machete man along shopping street

Police chased a man in Torquay town centre after reports he was carrying a two-foot machete in his trousers. Samuel Micklewright, 28, ran along Union Street and ended up in a car park, where he threw the weapon to the ground.

He was bailed and went on to attack a homeless man with a baseball bat in Ellacombe Road, a court heard. Micklewright, a drug-using roofer of Park Road, St Marychurch, has been jailed for a spree of offending in the town that also including stealing from a vulnerable family friend.

The offending started on February 15 when police received reports of a man with a machete down his trouser leg walking around Torquay town centre, prosecutor Tom Bradnock told Exeter Crown Court. Officers shouted for him to stop but he ran along the shopping street before being cornered in the car park and arrested.

READ MORE: Torquay brothers jailed for stabbing dad to death in street

Two brothers who blamed each other for killing a 34-year-old dad in Torquay last year were both jailed for manslaughter. Jack and Ben Milton initially stood trial at Exeter Crown Court accused of the murder of Aaron Parrington.

He was fatally attacked and stabbed outside their home in Ellacombe Church Road during a fight. Following a three-week trial at Exeter Crown Court, a jury found the brothers guilty of manslaughter, but not guilty of murder.

Jack Milton, 20, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Ben Milton, 19, was sentenced to 14 years in prison. The violent incident stemmed from the theft of a bag which Aaron believed Ben Milton was responsible for.

READ MORE: Spurned man attacked love rival and damaged his new Jag

A spurned Devon man exploded with anger and attacked his love rival who he suspected was having an affair with his partner, a court heard. Gareth Wright woke in the night to find and found his partner was not there.

He armed himself with a knife and went to a nearby caravan where he suspected she might be with another man. He barged in and assaulted the man who was sat up in bed. The chaotic scene included his partner jumping on his back to try and stop him carrying out his threats to stab.

The knife ended up being thrown out of the window but Wright was not finished. While leaving he smashed the TV and smashed the windscreen of the man's Jaguar car.

READ MORE: Face of psychotic burglar who savagely stabbed dog to death

An intruder has been jailed for breaking into a neighbour's house and savagely stabbing her beloved dog to death. Alexandru Balea, 23, entered the property while the owner was at work and knifed 10-year-old Una at least 16 times.

He then sat around smoking, drinking tequila and moving objects around the house before leaving. When Una's owner returned from work she found the floor covered in blood and her other dog, Una's dad, terrified and hiding.

Una's lifeless body had been left in the hall and clothes tossed over her. The owner said coming home was like "walking into my own personal hell". She had raised the dog since she was born and described in heartbreaking detail the profound and traumatic effect the death of her "best friend" has had.

READ MORE: Smiling knifeman jailed for horrific clifftop stabbing

A knifeman who left a 17-year-old boy with a punctured lung after stabbing him on a Devon clifftop footpath has been jailed for three years.

Jack Callow, seen smirking in his mugshot, left the victim with blood streaming out of a wound in his chest after a violent encounter on the path which runs between Torquay Golf Club and Crab Beach on the afternoon of January 23 this year.

A 17-year-old friend who was with the injured boy succeeded in fighting off Callow who fled into Redcliffe Road, where a householder spotted him in an alleyway next to his home. He chased him off and tipped off police who were searching for him and later found him hiding under decking in another garden in the same street.

READ MORE: Christine Rawle: The 'nice and nasty' wife who murdered husband

A Devon woman who knifed her husband in the back - then claimed she was the victim of domestic violence - has been sentenced to life in prison for his murder. Christine Rawle said she was terrified of husband Ian Rawle, 72, when she stabbed him at their house near Braunton.

She told police he had been cruel, controlling and violent to her during a 29-year marriage. But a jury at Exeter Crown Court did not believe her account and found her guilty of murder after a trial. On Friday, a judge sentenced her to life in prison with a minimum term of 15 years and 153 days.

He said: "It was a wholly unprovoked attack when he was completely defenceless." He said Ian Rawle was "in no way the serial domestic abuser" his wife tried to paint him as. Instead she had ignored his pleas for help and watched him die.

READ MORE: Scissor attack man jailed for violent Newton Abbot rampage

A thug stabbed a woman in the head with a pair of scissors during an outburst of unprovoked street violence. Joshua Kettle, 29, from Newton Abbot, also punched and kicked a dog walker to the ground before turning his rage on other members of the public who intervened.

A judge at Exeter Crown Court branded him a dangerous offender and sentenced him to an extended term of seven years and six months. She said the defendant had a pattern of assaulting strangers with weapons.

READ MORE: Drunk son jailed for hurling knife at frightened mum

An alcoholic son was jailed for throwing a knife at his mum and threatening his elderly father. Homeless Jonathan Parr was allowed back into the family home to wash his clothes and get a meal, a court heard.

But he got drunk, played loud music and shouted abuse at his mum. An argument ended with his mother slapping him in the face and retreating into the sitting room.

Parr, holding a bread knife in one hand and a bundle of knives and scissors in the other, followed her. He hurled the bread knife towards his mum with force. She cowered on the sofa as it flew by her head and hit a cupboard.

READ MORE: 'Evil and cowardly' Exeter murderer jailed for life

Exeter park killer Cameron Davis has been jailed for life for the murder of ‘random stranger’ Lorna England. The 31-year-old, who has shown no remorse, must spend a minimum of 28 years in prison.

He stabbed the 74-year-old grandmother through the heart as she walked home from Lidl through Ludwell Valley Park. He was angry about losing his accommodation and not being given a hospital bed for mental health issues.

Earlier this week, a jury at Exeter Crown Court rejected his claim that he had diminished responsibility for his crime and convicted him of murder. He returned to court on Thursday morning to be sentenced by Mrs Justice Stacey.

READ MORE: Woman jailed for vicious Torquay Castle Circus stabbing

A woman was jailed for stabbing a man in the head during a violent clash outside Torquay Town Hall. Katie Rockett used a Stanley knife to inflict a wound near James Clarke's ear, a court heard.

It happened after her boyfriend, Ryan Dodd, got into a fight with Mr Clarke in Castle Circus. The incident led to a large police response and the road around the council building and nearby library was taped off while the scene was investigated.

Rockett and Dodd, 29, were arrested later that night at their address in Abbey Road. The pair were initially charged with attempted murder but that was later changed to wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

READ MORE: Knife-wielding Exeter actor stabbed man over neighbour feud

An Exeter woman who stabbed a neighbour told police she had 'wanted to kill' for a while. Megan Tarrant attacked the man when he came to speak to her about her aggressive behaviour to his partner, a court heard.

But Megan, who has appeared in several independent films as an actor, claimed not to know who he was and stabbed his hand and leg. She told him: "If you come back here I'm going to stab you in the neck."

She was arrested and was originally due to stand trial accused of attempted murder. The Crown accepted her plea to wounding with intent and she was sentenced on Monday to three years and one month in jail.