Teenagers detained for random stab attack

Two teenagers have been sent to a young offender institution for more than a decade after stabbing a man multiple times in a random attack in Sheffield city centre.

Leon Sykes, 19, and Ramaray Treasure, 18, chased the victim down West Street, which is known for its bars and pubs, in the early hours of 9 March 2024, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Both had initially denied attempted murder, but changed their pleas just before the planned trial in November. They also admitted possessing an offensive weapon in public.

At sentencing on Friday, Sykes, of Victoria Street in Stocksbridge, was detained for 13 years and six months and Treasure, of Tansley Street in Sheffield, for 12 years.

The victim said in his impact statement he still lived with pain from the injuries, which were initially deemed life-threatening, and suffered from depressive episodes and anxiety.

He had finished his master's degree six months before the attack, and said it put a halt to his career.

The pair ran from the scene when a member of the public intervened, and were captured on CCTV walking along Division Street appearing to laugh, South Yorkshire Police said.

When approached by police on the same street, Treasure threw a knife into the air, with two knives later recovered at the scene.

Det Con Gareth Rees, the officer in charge of the case, said: "Treasure and Sykes launched an horrendous and random attack on a victim who they stabbed multiple times in full view of passers-by.

"The attack was interrupted by an incredibly brave member of the public who rushed to the man's aid."

He said police gathered a "mountain" of CCTV evidence which forced them to plead guilty to attempted murder.

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