A knife attacker who stabbed a man twice before pulling him backwards down a flight of stairs as he tried to escape has been jailed for more than seven years.
Alex Whitby, 23, attacked the victim following a drunken argument at a property in Leigh Road, Sittingbourne.
The man suffered stab wounds to his chest and stomach and was later airlifted to a London hospital, where he remained receiving treatment until December 2022.
Whitby, of The Coneries, Loughborough, admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday, 28 September, to seven years and nine months in prison.
Argument ended in knife attack
Whitby had been drinking with three colleagues, including the victim, on the evening of 27 October 2022.
Kent Police said there had been a minor altercation while the group were in Sittingbourne High Street.
The victim subsequently drove Whitby back to a property in Leigh Road.
Once inside, the pair became involved in another argument and Whitby stabbed the man twice — once in the chest and once in the stomach.
The injured man attempted to escape by heading upstairs.
Whitby grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him backwards, causing him to fall down the steps and strike his head against a radiator and the floor.
Victim airlifted to London hospital
Police officers and paramedics attended the property following the attack.
The seriously injured victim was taken by air ambulance to a London hospital.
His injuries were severe enough that he remained in hospital receiving treatment until December that year.
Whitby was arrested at the scene and subsequently charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
He pleaded guilty to the offence in December 2025.
‘Injuries that will impact him for life’
Detective Constable Hannah Beale said:
“What began as a drunken altercation has left a man with injuries that will impact him for life.
“Whitby’s violence, which did not end when his victim tried to flee, show him to be a volatile offender who poses a danger to society.
“The strength of our investigation has seen him put behind bars for a long time, and we hope this sentence brings his victim some closure.”
Whitby will now serve a sentence of seven years and nine months for the attack.
I’ve put the actual violence and lifelong consequences for the victim ahead of the “drunken altercation” description — that gives the story a much stronger headline and opening while remaining faithful to the conviction.
