"The injured worker will be scarred for life as a result of the assault."
At around 6 pm on Wednesday 24 August 2022, a worker at a service station, which is on the junction of Desford Lane and A47 Hinckley Road, approached a man who was filling containers with fuel on the back seat of a car.
Martin McDonagh – who is 33 and of Copt Oak Road, Markfield, attacked the worker slashing him with a knife across his chest and his upper arm.
When McDonagh attempted to drive away the injured worker and a second member of staff held onto the open car door as McDonagh reversed.
He managed to take £170 worth of stolen fuel.
Detective Constable Darryl Hart, from Hinckley CID, said: “The description of the suspect and his car given to us by staff, as well as from checking the CCTV, provided us with an excellent start to tracking him down. This, along with the quick response of the attending officers, enabled us to carry out early crucial enquiries which went towards the apprehension of McDonagh in the offending vehicle, only a couple of hours later.
“The injured worker will be scarred for life as a result of the assault, and I am sure the mental impact of this incident will remain with him. He was simply doing his job and no person in that position should ever be assaulted.
“McDonagh denied any involvement when he was interviewed but the wealth of evidence against him only showed his guilt. I am pleased that he has now accepted responsibility for his actions and that he has been given a prison sentence for the crimes he committed.”
Officers located McDonagh in Earl Shilton later in the day.
In an interview, he denied the offences put to him and was later charged to appear to court.
He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to section 18 – wounding with intent, robbery, possession of a knife blade/sharp-pointed article in a public place, driving a motor vehicle dangerously and fraudulently using a registration mark/registration document.
He has now been sentenced to four years in prison for these offences.
He was also given a 12-month prison sentence for an offence of affray in an unrelated incident days earlier when he threatened the occupants of an address in Earl Shilton.
Martin McDonagh
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