Teacher jailed for knife attack

2:18pm Monday 28th July 2008

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A TEACHER has been sentenced to five years in prison for stabbing his friend with a steak knife.

Jonathon Law-Kwang, aged 34, stabbed Gary Coxe in a pub in January.

He was given a five-year prison sentence at Croydon Crown Court last Friday (July 25) after being found guilty of wounding with intent. He had denied the charge.

Law-Kwang, who was an IT teacher at Forest Hill School, in Dacres Road, until his arrest, stabbed plasterer Mr Coxe after a fit of jealously over his ex-girlfriend.

At the trial, Mr Coxe told the jury how Law-Kwang got angry when his friend Darren Franks decided to leave and go see his girlfriend.

The court heard the woman was Law-Kwang's ex-girlfriend.

Mr Coxe said: "I told him to pick up his keys and leave because he was upsetting people."

He added: "He leaned over the table and picked up a steak knife. I grabbed him by the throat and pushed him. I started hitting him to protect myself.

"He was waving the knife about and I felt a shooting pain in my left side. I put my hand over my abdomen and it was covered in blood."

Mr Coxe suffered minor injuries in the attack.

Law-Kwang denied deliberately picking up the knife and stabbing Mr Coxe. He also denied swinging the knife.

He told the court: "I thought Gary was going to hit me so I picked up a knife, but it wasn't my intention to pick up the knife."

Law-Kwang added: "I wasn't aware I had hit him at all. I don't know how the injuries came about, but I accept I was responsible for them."

Law-Kwang said he voluntarily went to the police station after the incident at a pub in Croydon on January 8.

Judge Simon Pratt told Law-Kwang, from Norbury: "It is becoming increasingly dangerous nowadays to be either on the streets or in pubs and the use of knives is ever more prevalent.

"You were drunk and irritated by the new relationship between your ex-girlfriend and another drinking acquaintance.

"When Gary Coxe sought to make you leave, you grabbed a steak knife and stabbed him."