A TEENAGER has been convicted of stabbing a man numerous times in a sustained knife attack last February.

A jury at Bristol Crown Court found the 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to 21-year-old Jahmay Richards.

On February 17, Richards was stabbed repeatedly when he tried to flee two attackers in Kingswood Avenue, Park North, who knifed him seven times in the torso, arms and legs.

The attack left Richards with severe wounds and a punctured lung with a paramedic saying he was “lucky to be alive.”

During the trial the teenage defendant maintained his innocence and claimed that he had been the victim of an unprovoked attack which rendered him unconscious on the night of the stabbing.

But after little over an hour of deliberation the jury returned a majority guilty verdict.

The prosecution’s case rested on eyewitness testimony and “crucial” forensic evidence, including a hammer and screwdriver found at the scene, two hats with the defendant and victim’s DNA on them and two bloodstained knives recovered from a garden in March.

Hannah Squire, prosecuting, drew attention to discrepancies in the defendant’s story under cross-examination.

“There is an evidentiary conundrum here, who is telling the truth,” she said.

“There was an Armani beanie hat and a Stone Island hat found wrapped up together and bloodstained.

"The defendant acknowledges that the hat is his and the other belonged to Jahmay Richards but he cannot give an explanation as to how they ended up together. His hat was found on the opposite side of the road as to where he says he was attacked.

“The second silver knife recovered had the defendant’s blood type on it, one may be able to surmise that he injured himself in the process of stabbing, that is for the jury to decide however.

“The defendant also said that he had dropped his bag containing kebabs but this was found on the opposite side of where he said he ran.

“You cannot deny that this attack was designed to significantly harm Jahmay Richards. This was a frantic, frenzied, hostile attack, two men against one.”

CCTV footage from in and around Milverton Court was also shown to the courtroom before deliberations began.

The court heard neither Richards or his friend Dexter Day had cooperated with police with the defendant refusing to name the person he was seen with on the CCTV footage.

When the teenager was arrested on March 10 he was found to have a seven-inch kitchen knife down his trousers which he claimed was for protection. He also had a previous conviction in August 2013 for possessing a bladed article.

Peter Woodall, defending, said the CCTV and evidence found on the two knives did not link the defendant to the crime scene.

“This CCTV footage is weak and redolent with danger. As the prosecution has said many times, you can see ghostly figures on the footage, that is simply not enough,” he said.

“There is no scientific evidence to convict this man, he cannot be seen committing the crime on the CCTV, the knife is in the defence’s favour because it supports his assertion that he was attacked first with his blood found on the blade.

"Probability just isn’t enough in this case. I cannot prove this defendant’s innocence but there is not enough to prove his guilt.”

Judge Neil Ford remanded the teenager in custody until October 9, for a pre-sentence report to be written.

He said: “As you are only 17-years old I will adjourn this case for three weeks for a report to be gathered by the youth offending team. Do not think this means that a custodial sentence will be out of the question. You will remain in custody.”