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Flamingo Land attacker caged for stabbing holidaymaker in unprovoked attack
The victim suffered a punctured colon and needed emergency surgery after Donnelly stabbed him three times with a kitchen knife, police said.
- On Friday, June 12, 2026, Joshua Donnelly, 22, of Duxford Road, Middlesbrough, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison at York Crown Court after pleading guilty to Section 18 wounding with intent.
- Donnelly stabbed a 38-year-old victim three times at Flamingo Land Resort near Pickering on September 18, 2025, after the man attempted to intervene in a domestic dispute involving Donnelly and his partner.
- North Yorkshire Police secured the conviction using CCTV footage and witness testimony, while a gardener at the resort located the four-inch black-handled knife discarded in nearby bushes, which was forensically linked to the attack.
- In a court statement, the victim described how the incident turned a "lovely family holiday" into a nightmare, detailing long-term physical nerve damage, mental distress, and the impact on his 15-year-old son who is now terrified.
- Police Investigator Liberty Ashton from Scarborough and Ryedale CID stated that overwhelming evidence left Donnelly little option but to plead guilty to the "terrible, vicious offence" that could have easily taken an innocent life.
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Total News Sources13
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution89% Center
Bias Distribution
- 89% of the sources are Center
89% Center
11%
C 89%
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