A 44-year-old gardener from Seaton has been sentenced to three years in prison after a drunken confrontation spiraled into a life-threatening knife attack.
Daniel Flynn appeared at Exeter Crown Court this week, where he was handed the jail term for wounding with intent and two counts of possessing a bladed article in a public place. The sentencing follows a violent incident in the early hours of May 31, 2026, which left a man requiring emergency airlift to a hospital.
The court heard that the incident began when Flynn, who had been drinking, fell over near his home on Harbour Road. Two men walking nearby witnessed the fall and laughed at him, an action that triggered a violent reaction from the defendant. Enraged, Flynn ran back to his flat, armed himself with two kitchen knives, and pursued the pair down the street.
CCTV footage presented to the court captured the chilling scene, showing Flynn chasing the men while shouting threats that he intended to kill them. As the pursuit continued, one of the men tripped and fell onto the road. While the victim lay defenseless on the ground, Flynn approached and stabbed him once in the chest before fleeing the scene back to his home.
Emergency services were called to the location at approximately 1 a.m. Following the assault, the area was placed under a heavy police cordon while forensic teams carried out investigations. The victim, a man in his 40s, was stabilized at the scene before being airlifted to the hospital to receive treatment for his chest wound.
During the hearing, Flynn’s defense barrister, Mary McCarthy, argued that the defendant had not intended to commit such a severe act, claiming his goal was initially just to scare the men. She described Flynn as being “mortified” by his actions, noting that he is a cannabis user who suffers from depression and anxiety and does not typically consume alcohol.
However, Judge Matthew Turner condemned the severity of the attack, emphasizing that the victim was lying on the road and completely defenseless when the knife was used. “You armed yourself with the knives,” the Judge noted before delivering the three-year sentence.
The court made no orders for compensation or costs. The case concludes a troubling incident that rocked the Seaton community, leaving residents shocked by the display of violence in their neighborhood earlier this summer.
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