Press release: Solicitor General refers Croydon ‘zombie knife’ attacker’s case to Court of Appeal

The Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, has referred Joshua Gardner’s original sentence to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme.

Gardner, 18, was sentenced earlier this year in a high-profile case which saw the teen receive a suspended sentence for attempted grievous bodily harm with intent. He was arrested after he wielded a large knife on a busy Croydon street and attempted to use it to break into the victim’s car and attack him.

He was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court in November this year, where he was given 2 years imprisonment suspended for 2 years, as well as an unpaid work requirement, curfew order, and a rehabilitation activity.

The appeal hearing will take place on 30 January. The Court may decide to keep the sentence the same, increase it, or issue guidance for future cases.

Speaking about the case, the Solicitor General said:

After carefully considering of the details of this case, I decided to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal due to the serious nature of the offence concerned.

Gardner took to the streets in broad daylight, terrorising his victim and those members of the public who witnessed this extreme act of violence with a dangerous weapon.

It is now for the Court to decide whether to increase the sentence.