A 17–year-old boy from Hitchin has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison following a “life-threatening” stabbing in a supermarket car park in Stevenage earlier this year.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to seven years and nine months in prison at St Albans Crown Court after pleading guilty to S18 GBH.

Passing sentence, the judge recognised he was a “dangerous offender” despite his age, and acknowledged that the offender had not learned his lesson, having been found in possession of a bladed article upon arrest.

At around 7pm on Sunday 16 February, a 21-year-old man was found in the Tesco car park at The Forum bleeding from an injury to his leg.

His injury was initially considered life-threatening and he was taken to the Lister Hospital where he underwent surgery.

READ MORE: Hitchin teens charged following Stevenage Tesco stabbingAnother boy from Hitchin, 16, who was arrested back in February for this offence pleaded guilty to S20 GBH. Due to already serving seven months on remand, he has been released on a supervision order with curfews.

Detective Constable Jen Wilson, from the Stevenage Local Crime Unit, said: “This was a nasty, unprovoked attack on a vulnerable young male and the result should be a deterrent to anyone thinking about carrying a knife.

“Herts police simply will not tolerate knife crime and we will always do all we can to convict knife crime offenders and get justice for victims.

“My thoughts remain with the victim of the assault as he begins to rebuild his life and I hope this result provides some closure for him.”