18 year-old stabbed Grindr date 14 times in the back

AN 18 YEAR-OLD attacked a man he’d connected with online a total of 14 times with a kitchen knife in what has been described as a ‘frenzied attack’ for reasons unknown. Dexter Davies, narrowly escaped a murder charge as he was sentenced for causing severe bodily harm with intent, with the judge at Swansea Crown Court remarking on his good fortune.

James Hartson, the prosecution , recounted how in September the defendant initiated contact with a man on the dating app Grindr, masquerading as an 18-year-old named Danny, though he was actually 17. After exchanging messages, the pair met and engaged in ‘consensual sexual activity’. Their initial encounter ended amicably, with no red flags about Davies’ conduct.

Unexpectedly, eight days later, Davies, under a different guise on Grindr, reached out again. They agreed to meet once more, and upon arrival at the man’s home in Port Talbot, Davies asked the victim, in his 40s, about handcuffs and a blindfold, items the man did not possess.

Subsequently, Davies instructed the man to lie face down, ostensibly for a massage, before launching into a ferocious attack, striking him repeatedly with what he thought were punches deleivere with ‘great force’. It was only when the victim managed to turn and confront Davies that he noticed the knife in the Davies hand. Davies then struck out at the man’s face with the blade.

After the victim called for help, Davies fled the property, discarding the weapon in a nearby garden. Davies then concocted a story to a neighbour, alleging he had been deceived by a woman who turned out to be a man attempting to harm him and asked if he could use her phone to contact his parents.

However, the prosecution said that these claims were baseless, and were an attempt by the teenager to ‘blacken’ the victim’s reputation which included Davies “continually trying to mislead professionals” involved in the case. The police were then called and the defendant was arrested.

Throughout the proceedings, Davies remained impassive, answering ‘no comment’ to every question despite the clear evidence that tied him to the crime scene, including the recovery of a knife matching those found at his residence. The victim was hospitalized with 14 stab wounds to his back, shoulders and face, one just an inch away from his spine, along with a deep wound to his cheek.

In his impact statement, the victim expressed bewilderment at the attack, describing Davies as initially appearing harmless and ‘a pleasent young man’. The victim said the attack has left him feeling ‘unsettled and vulnerable’, with his home transformed into a haunting reminder of the violence inflicted upon him and said with the blood stains on the floor he felt like was living in a ‘crime scene’.

He added that he felt ‘foolish’ for letting the incident happen, and said the attack had badly affected his self-confidence.

Dexter Davies, now 18, residing on Brynhyfryd Road, Briton Ferry, pleaded guilty to causing severe bodily harm with intent and possessing a knife. Despite his clean record, the severity of the crime warranted detention. Davies’ defence urged for a youth referral order, emphasizing rehabilitation, but the judge, was mindful of the premeditated nature of the attack.

The judge stated that Davies had taken the knife to the man’s house and then told the neighbour a “completely made up story” about sex with a woman, which he seemed to have prepared in advance. The judge also said that Davies had then lied to the authors of the pre-sentence report and the psychiatric report.

Davies, was ultimately sentenced to three-and-a-half years in a young offenders institution, with a reduction for his guilty pleas.