Nine-year jail term for man behind Folkestone knife assault

A man who cut a woman with a knife before attacking police has been jailed for nine years.

Stuart Goodwin was arrested after police were called to an incident in the Cheriton Road area of central Folkestone on Monday 25 May 2020.

The 33-year-old was charged with and later admitted wounding with intent, child cruelty and four counts of assaulting an emergency worker.

He also admitted dangerous driving in relation to an incident on Tuesday 25 February 2020.

At Canterbury Crown Court on Tuesday 12 January 2021, Goodwin was jailed for nine years and ordered to serve an extra year on licence at the end of his sentence.

Officers were called to the Folkestone property at around 3.30pm on the day of the offences. They found the woman victim outside with a three-inch cut to her chin.

Goodwin was inside, having shut himself in a room with a child. Officers persuaded him to let the child go, before he tried to attack them with the knife. Three PCs and a sergeant were assaulted during his arrest.

Earlier in 2020, Goodwin had driven into a teenage boy on a moped in Radnor Park Avenue, Folkestone, and failed to stop at the scene. The victim was treated by paramedics but did not require hospital treatment.

Detective Sergeant Wayne Shepherd, of the East Kent Vulnerability Investigation Team, said: ‘This was a terrifying set of offences for all involved and I hope the actions of officers on the day and since the incident have allowed the victims to recover as well as possible.

‘Goodwin’s actions on that day could easily have caused far more serious injuries to his victims and attending police officers and I am pleased the court has recognised the dangerousness of his offending with this sentence.

‘I would urge anyone who feels at risk from someone they know to get in contact with Kent Police and we will find the right outcome to keep you safe and deal with anyone who may pose a risk to you.’