7:15am Friday 23rd May 2008
By Court Reporter
A "desperate" heroin addict has been jailed indefinitely for knifing a Teddington landlord because he escorted him to the beer garden to smoke.
Ben Langmead, 27, of Princes Road, Teddington, stabbed David Shanks twice with a 7in blade on August 21 last year.
Kingston Crown Court heard Mr Shanks - who runs the Red Lion in Stanley Road - had a pair of 2cm-wide stab wounds in his back and that the knife only missed vital organs because it hit Mr Shanks's ribs.
The court heard on Wednesday, May 21, Langmead had taken the knife into a Londis shop, also in Stanley Road, and brandished it as he stole two cans of beer, before going into the Red Lion pub at 10pm.
Jamie Sharma, prosecuting, said Langmead asked Mr Shanks for a light for his cigarette and then had to be escorted to the beer garden because of the smoking ban.
"A couple of minutes later Mr Langmead returned," Mr Sharma said. "Mr Shanks was standing at the bar, facing away from Mr Langmead, having a conversation with staff and customers.
"Mr Langmead drew his knife, lunged at Mr Shanks and punctured his back twice."
Customers chased Langmead along Stanley Road where they wrestled him to the ground. The court was told Mr Shanks began to bleed "profusely".
Rory Keane, defending, said Langmead - who admitted the theft from Londis and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm - had been addicted to heroin for six months to a year.
"These offences were committed out of desperation for heroin," he said.
He said Langmead had also turned to abusing alcohol and had attacked the pub landlord because he felt he had been shown a lack of respect in the way he was forced to smoke in the pub garden.
Judge Edward Southwell ruled Langmead was a danger and jailed him for an indeterminate term, ordering him to serve a minimum of two years.
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