Colchester stabbing: Attacker had breached knife order three times

Kaya Adu was sentenced to six years and nine months for grievous bodily harm after he attacked his victim in Pepe’s Piri Piri on January 9.

Though the victim made a full recovery, he suffered life-threatening injuries and required urgent surgery.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard how Adu had nine convictions for 19 offences involving criminal damage, false imprisonment, conspiracy to blackmail, threatening behaviour, and theft.

He had also been given a knife crime prevention order, which he breached three times.

Previous - Kaya Adu had an array of previous convictions before he was sentenced on Tuesday (Image: Essex Police)

Previous - Kaya Adu had an array of previous convictions before he was sentenced on Tuesday (Image: Essex Police)

Her Honour Judge Loram said: “You don’t get where he is today for no reason – I have read a lot about his background.”

Stephen Dyble, mitigating, said: “He has had a less than ideal upbringing – by 14 he was in care and alienated from his family.

“If you are young and naïve, you are easy prey for people who are more sophisticated. Unless people have grown up in that environment, it’s difficult to understand the pressure that is brought to bear.

“You are either with them or you are against them.

“I am not going to disagree that he embraced that culture.”

Fellow defendant, Rushi Jadeja, 22, was also jailed for six years and nine months in the incident.

A barrister claimed Jadeja showed “an extreme lack of maturity” when he helped carry the stabbing in Colchester city centre.

Dan Taylor, mitigating, told the court Jadeja was bullied as a child and lost his father at 16, contributing to a lack of direction in his life.

He said: “The point we make is that a person’s age does not determine the individual’s maturity.

“There is an extreme lack of maturity on the part of Jadeja – he is someone who is easily led.

“One can hope he can mature in custody prior to his release.”

Rushi Jadeja showed “an extreme lack of maturity” when he helped carry the stabbing, the court heard (Image: Essex Police)

He continued: “Jadeja had a difficult childhood – he was bullied as a result of his weight and ethnicity.

“He lost his father when he was 16 and that loss is something he has very much struggled to come to terms with.”

Mr Taylor said Jadeja’s family were forced to move to Colchester from east London because they were the target of gangs.

He added: “Jadeja is someone who has suffered from childhood trauma and that is something that impacts on his culpability.”