TEMPLESHIRE CONSTABULARY
RESTRICTED (when complete)
WITNESS STATEMENT
(Criminal Justice Act 1967 s.9; Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980, ss5A (3)(a) and 5B; Magistrates’ Court Rules 1981 r.70)
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Statement of: Martin LEWISON
Age if under 18: 28 years
Occupation: Van Driver
This statement is true to the best of my knowledge and belief and I make it knowing that if it is tendered in evidence, I shall be liable to prosecution if I have wilfully stated anything in it, which I know to be false, or do not believe to be true.
Signature…..Martin F Lewison……
Date…16 November (Y-1)….
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Tick if witness evidence is visually recorded [ ] (supply witness details on rear)
- I am a van driver working for Better Value Stores PLC, a supermarket chain. I deliver food produce to stores all over the UK.
- On 16th November (y-1), I was delivering various items in and around stores in the Templetown area. I finished my deliveries at 12.30pm and decided to have some lunch before going back to the depot with my van. I parked my van outside a pub called "The 19th Hole", in Golf Course Lane, Templetown and went inside.
- I ordered a pint of shandy, a steak and kidney pie and chips. I took my meal and drink to a small table in the Lounge Bar. The pub has two bars. The other is called the Public Bar. Once in the Lounge Bar I sat at a table near the television set. No-one else was in that bar and so I turned the TV onto BBC 2 so that I could watch a politics programme which I enjoy. I was watching a particularly interesting report about climate change when I became aware of another man coming into the bar. He was about my age or a little older. He was dressed in workman's clothes but, otherwise, there was nothing much about him which I noticed.
- He walked up to the television and said "What's this crap?" I said "Politics - it's not crap". Without stating anything further, he turned the channel over to another channel where some person was inviting people to make cash from items found in their loft, or something similar. He then sat at a table near the bar in the Lounge. I said something like "I didn't realise that you wanted something highbrow" and walked over to the television and switched it back to my programme. I then sat down. He proceeded to get up and walked back to the television and switched it back to his programme. We did this switching and counter-switching two or three more times.
- I was getting fed up with this and told him to "Piss off back to the Public Bar". I then went to turn over the channel but, as I went to press the appropriate button on the television, I felt a sharp pain just under the knuckles of my right hand.
- I looked down at my hand and saw that there was a 1 1/2 cm cut to my hand just below the knuckle of my middle finger on my right hand. It was bleeding quite heavily. I was shocked and said to him "What have you done?". I could see a knife in the right hand of the man with whom I had argued. I could see that the knife (which I was using to eat my pie) was missing and it was clear that he had picked this up and used it on me. Fortunately, it was an ordinary dinner knife, not a steak knife.
- He looked worried and ran to the toilet (the door to which is in the Lounge Bar area). He returned almost immediately with a wad of toilet paper which he gave me to place over my hand. He also asked the barman to find a first-aid box.
- The barman was very angry with the man who stabbed me and punched him to the face. He told him to sit on a chair in the Public Bar and not to move. He then called the police.
- The man who hit me sat quietly on the chair. He was holding his face.
- The police arrived within about 10 minutes. They spoke to the barman and then to me. I explained what happened and they arranged for a policeman to drive me to the local hospital where my hand was treated. Before I left, I pointed out to the police the man who attacked me.
- No one had permission to stab my hand with a knife. My hand is still sore, but I have no doubt it will heal properly. I don't know what made the man behave as he did. It was completely over the top. I will say that he seemed very shocked at what he had done.
Signed.....Martin F Lewison…