At around 3.15pm on Tuesday 11 July 2023, John Garrett entered the Shell garage in Tiptree’s Maypole Road.
He took two bottles of alcohol from the shelf of the shop and threatened the staff before leaving and heading towards a bus stop in the village, next to Windmill Green.
There, 55-year-old Garrett approached two men and a woman at the bus stop.
He was seen arguing with one of the men in the group, before he stabbed them in the neck three times and left him in a life-threatening condition as paramedics rushed to the scene.
Six people witnessed the violent attack, with Garrett fleeing the scene and returning to his address in Walnut Tree Way.
Officers arrested Garrett at his home shortly after the attack, with more than a dozen officers working rapidly to collect the evidence required to ensure the Crown Prosecution Service agreed to charge him with attempted murder and robbery.
Remanded in custody, Garrett appeared at Chelmsford Crown court on Monday 18 March and pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and robbery, which was accepted by the CPS.
He was sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison at the same court today, Thursday 6 June.
