A TEENAGER who stabbed a dog walker in the stomach because he was ‘angry at the world’ has been jailed for eight years.

Reading resident Oliver Welsby was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on January 18 after pleading guilty to one count of causing grievous bodily harm with intent following the attack in Abingdon's Boxhill Park on July 19, 2018.

Jane Davies, prosecuting, told the court it was days before his 18th birthday when he approached Julie Faulkner from behind in the wooded area, covered her mouth with his hand and was ‘nose-to-nose’ as he plunged a knife into her abdomen.

Ms Davies said Mrs Faulkner’s injuries were superficial, the weapon missing her organs, but this was ‘more by luck than intention’. An impact statement from Mrs Faulkner said: “I have changed from confident, happy-go-lucky, to someone constantly questioning who is around her.”

She said she was often ‘scared and anxious’, had flashbacks, nightmares and was worried about being left alone. She added: “It dictates my whole day. The person I was before is gone.”

A statement from Meg Nott, who witnessed the attack and was the first to rush to Mrs Faulkner’s aid, was also read out in court.

She said the image of the attack was ‘seared’ into her mind, adding: “I believed she was dying in my arms.”

David Bright, in mitigation, said Welsby was ‘troubled’ but had shown remorse.

Judge Maria Lamb, sentencing Welsby, who is of no fixed abode, to eight years with an extended licence period of five years, said: “You told the probation officer on January 15 that you were ‘angry at the world’ and stabbed the ‘first person you saw’.”

She said she believed he had, in fact, waited in a secluded spot for ‘prey’; someone vulnerable and alone.

Judge Lamb added: “It is a chilling feature that you have behaved throughout the incident with a sophistication and calculation which belies your years.”

She pointed to the fact the weapon had never been recovered nor his clothes from the day, and that GPS on his phone had been either turned off or deleted.

She referenced psychiatric reports that mentioned he experienced ‘intrusive thoughts’ about ‘physical and sexual violence’ towards himself and others.

After the court hearing last week, police have tried to reassure residents of Abingdon that their town is a safe place.

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Ali Driver, of Force CID at Abingdon police station, called the attack ‘needless, unprovoked and vicious’ adding: “Welsby chose his victim completely at random, which is highly unusual, and makes this assault all the more shocking.

“I would like to take this opportunity to reassure the people of Abingdon that the town is a safe place to live and work. The help that we received from members of the public and the media enabled us to ultimately bring Welsby to justice.”