Three men jailed for colluding to ambush and rob a man in Chingford

Three 22-year-olds attacked a man on his way home after a night out in Chingford

Three men have been jailed after a man in his thirties was ambushed and stabbed in Chingford.

Guy O’Neill of Burns Avenue, Lee O’Neill of Blackmore Road and Bartosz Bak of Valley Side, all aged 22, were found guilty of attempted robbery at the Old Bailey.

Lee O’Neill and Bak were also found guilty of GBH and possession of an offensive weapon.

The court heard that Guy O’Neill met the victim, who was carrying around £5,000 cash, on a night out in Chingford on 14 September 2017.

The pair had a previous passing acquaintance and when the bar they were drinking in closed, O’Neill invited the man back to his then address in Willow Street, E4.

As they continued drinking, O’Neill colluded with Lee O’Neill, who in turn contacted Bak, to inform him the victim was an easy target for a robbery.

Lee O’Neill and Bak confronted the man on his way home.

Following a struggle, the victim broke away with five stab wounds and was rushed to hospital for life-saving surgery.

DC David Marnoch of the North East Basic Command Unit said: “This was an opportunist attack on an innocent man who was out celebrating.

“A chance meeting with Guy O’Neill led to a series of events which almost resulted in murder.

“His actions, in conceiving and planning the attack, and Lee O’Neill and Bak’s decision to follow the instructions and lay in wait for the victim before stabbing him, were abhorrent.”

The three 22-year-olds all received a 6 and a half year custodial sentence on Thursday 4 February.

For more on this story, and the latest on our other local and national news, listen to Time 107.5FM