Jealous man watched two men socialising with his ex from garden - then walked in and stabbed them

Christopher O'Brien was jailed for 15 years at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, June 20 for stabbing two men in a Birmingham house in October last year.

The court heard that on the night of October 8, O'Brien's ex-girlfriend had been enjoying a night out with her sister and two male friends, who are related to each other.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "It's believed that O'Brien had gone to the house where his ex-girlfriend was living in Erdington and had been watching her and the friends from the back garden.

"Motivated by jealousy, he entered the house and in an unprovoked attack began stabbing one of the men, who was unknown to him.

"The second man tried to come to his relative's aid but O'Brien turned the knife on him, stabbing him too.

"The two men, both aged 22 at the time, were seriously injured."

O'Brien ran from the house after the stabbing but police tracked him down a fortnight later following "extensive" enquiries.

Officers spotted him driving his car in the early hours of October 22, close to the where the incident had taken place.

O'Brien refused to stop for police and following a pursuit was subsequently boxed in and stopped on Kings Road, where he was found to be driving without a licence or insurance.

He refused to give officers his details and in police interviews answered 'no comment' to all questions.

The 39-year-old, of Kings Road in Birmingham, was charged and remanded and following a forensic examination of his phone a video was found of him filming himself entering the victims house on the night of the attack.

Although he pleaded not guilty, the jury found him guilty and on Thursday, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for one offence of grievous bodily harm and five years for the second offence of grievous bodily harm, with the sentences to run concurrently.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Maguire, who led the investigation, said: "I would like to commend the bravery of the victims who came forward and who have helped us piece together what happened.

"Going through a court case and investigation is not easy and they've shown courage, integrity and determination throughout.

"The violence shown towards two complete strangers was extreme.

"O'Brien's motivation was jealousy and rage and he has tried to cover his tracks throughout. He tried to evade capture, went 'no comment' through his interview and has subjected all involved to a lengthy trial with his not guilty plea.

"I would also like to thank the policing teams that worked hard to bring O'Brien to justice, this was a real team effort.

"We hope that the victims who continue to recover from their injuries will feel that justice has now been served."