Newmarket man is jailed for three years for a stabbing in the town a judge called a cowardly and brutal assault

A 21-year-old Newmarket man has been jailed for three years after he admitted stabbing a man in the town’s market square earlier this year.

Sonnie Bishop Browne, of Dick Perryman Court, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court today after earlier pleading guilty to wounding Jordan Marks with intent on April 10 this year. He had also admitted possession of a bladed article, a large knife, for which he was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment to run concurrently.

In the dock with him was his brother, 19-year-old Georgie Bishop, his mother Nicole Bishop, 46, all of the same address and his girlfriend Alisha Gentle, 19, formerly of Exning Road, Newmarket.

Georgie Bishop admitted possession of a bladed article and was given an 18-month community order to include 100 hours’ of unpaid work.

Nicole Bishop admitted assaulting Mr Marks’ girlfriend Catrina Coldeway by beating and was given an 18-month community order and ordered not to contact Ms Coldeway for 12 months, while Gentle, who also admitted assaulting Ms Coldeway by beating her, was made the subject of a 12-month community order to include 80 hours’ of unpaid work.

The court was told the reason for the stabbing appeared to stem from underlying tensions relating to a dispute between the younger sister of Sonnie Bishop Brown and Georgie Bishop, Lulu Bishop, and the younger sister of Jordan Marks.

On April 8 Ms Coldeway was leaving a tanning salon in Newmarket when she was approached by Nicole Bishop who ran up grabbing her by the throat and punching her in the face saying she was Lulu's mum and that she would be the death of her. When she was on the floor she was kicked and punched by Gentle.

Judge David Wilson told Nicole Brown: “That appeared to be the further trigger for the offending and no doubt you will reflect on your part in the earlier incident which may have been the catalyst for enhanced tensions when you reflect your two sons have been in custody for a period of time following on from your conduct on on April 8.”

The court heard two days later, Ms Coldeway and Mr Marks were in Newmarket town centre they saw the boyfriend of Lulu Bishop on the phone. Just before 6pm CCTV captured images of four males approaching approached the market square with their hoods up .

Mr Marks was talking to the driver of a blue BMW when Bishop Browne, in what the judge called a pre-meditated attack, ran towards him with a large knife making several stabbing motions. Mr Marks then fell to the ground as Bishop Browne ran off.

He was seen to put the knife back down the front of his jogging bottoms. As he made his getaway on his scooter he fell over on the kerb and the blade of his knife was seen to be hanging out of his jogging bottoms.

"You were extremely fortunate that you did not cause similar wounds to yourself as a result of the carrying of this significant and large weapon," said Judge Wilson.

Georgie Bishop was also seen with a large blade in his right hand.

The court heard Mr Marks was taken to Addenbrookes hospital where he was treated for a stab wound to his thigh and received five blood transfusions. He was also treated by the vascular surgery team and was discharged two days later.

Mitigating for Bishop Browne Chloe Birch said he had written a heartfelt letter to the court accepting responsibility for what he did.

She said a psychiatric report revealed he had a number of psychological impairments including high levels of complex post traumatic stress disorder.

He also suffered from severe depression and anxiety.

She said he had had a difficult upbringing and witnessed violence as a child.

“He had taken on the role of protector of his family and shouldered the responsibility for the safety of his mother and younger siblings,” she said.

Sentencing the four defendants, Judge Wilson said: "It is a common and all too sad feature of these courts that we see young men involved in significant knife crime. It is a sadly regular feature of this court that those who engage in knife crime are either the victims themselves of a dispute that takes place or they perpetrate the significant and sometimes fatal blow to others.

“When you use a knife in such circumstances the outcome of such use may be uncertain. It may lead as in this case to a wound that is capable of medical intervention and treatment. Frequently and all too tragically it involves the loss of a life and the trail of destruction behind it."

The judge said the victim statement submitted by Mr Marks, which he had asked not to be read in open court, showed he not only bore the physical scars of what he described as the cowardly and brutal assault on him but also the mental scars.