Thug who stabbed man in chest outside Leeds city centre bar found guilty of wounding with intent

A jury found Leighton Wood not guilty of attempted murder but convicted him of the lesser charge over the attack outside Mook Bar.

Victim Benjamin Kelly had to undergo life-saving surgery after Wood knifed him to the chest during the incident on August 30 last year.

Leeds Crown Court heard how the stabbing took place after Mr Kelly punched Wood as he feared he was going to attack his friend with the weapon.

During the trial, Stephen Wood QC, prosecuting, said the defendant walked backwards and bumped into Mr Kelly's friend before words were exchanged between the two men.

The prosecutor said: "When Benjamin Kelly tried to intervene the defendant said he should stay out of it and that he was going to 'stab his mate'.

"Fearing that the defendant would carry out this threat and in order to protect his friend, Mr Kelly punched the defendant, thereby forcing him away from his friend.

"Mr Kelly punched him multiple times.

"The prosecution suggest that when he said this to Mr Kelly, the defendant already had the knife drawn in his right hand.

"We suggest that he had already removed the knife from his right hand pocket.

"Using the knife he aimed at the chest of Mr Kelly and he stabbed him twice."

The first blow was aimed at the heart and the second blow was to the left side of his abdomen.

Mr Kelly did not at first realise that he had been stabbed but soon had difficulty breathing and began to feel faint.

He left the area in a taxi to go home with a friend.

Mr Wood said: "It became clear that Mr Kelly was in a perilous condition and the taxi took a detour to the hospital."

A scan at the hospital showed he had suffered a "devastating" injury that was placing a strain on his heart.

Mr Wood said: "Had he not got to hospital when he did and had the medical staff not acted so promptly, Mr Kelly would have died.

"There is no way he would have survived without immediate surgery."

Wood, 27, of no fixed, had already pleaded guilty to an offence of having an offensive weapon over the incident.

He was remanded in custody after the jury returned a majority guilty verdict of wounding with intent.

Wood will be sentence by Mr Justice Jacobs on Thursday (April 7).