Southampton: Pensioner nearly killed friend of 20 years in stabbing

Former construction worker Boguslaw Biela, 67, armed himself with a knife after drinking vodka with four others at his flat in James Street, in St Mary's.

Southampton Crown Court heard he launched his "unprovoked and unjustified attack" as the group were on a video call with Biela's son.

Biela thrust the knife into his friend's chest before striking him a second time in his shoulder.

Boguslaw Biela (Image: Hampshire Constabulary)

Others at the gathering started shouting and the police were called. 

When officers arrived at the flat, they found Biela covered in blood with the victim lying on the floor, bleeding profusely. 

The man was rushed to hospital and required emergency surgery to take out his damaged colon.

He remained in intensive care for a week and was discharged on August 3, weeks after the incident on July 15, 2023. 

In a statement read out in court, he said he had to take four weeks off work and has been left with a stoma and scarring where he was stabbed. 

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When he was arrested Biela was taken into custody where he told police: "I am not denying it. It was in defence to save my son's life."

But when interviewed he remained silent. 

But prosecutor Charles Gabb said: "It is impossible to explain the workings of the defendant's mind as his son was nowhere near the scene.

"There is no explanation as to why the defendant did what he did."

Biela pleaded guilty to wounding with intent on the day of trial, having initially been accused of attempted murder.

At his sentencing hearing on Friday, Mr Gabb added the victim "could also very very easily have been killed" and is "fortunate to have survived".

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The pair had known each other for around 20 years with all the people at the gathering having come from the same area of Poland. 

Mitigating, Francesca Da Costa said her client has no previous convictions and "is not dangerous". 

She said he had "genuine but misplaced concern for his son" and "shows remorse and concern for the complainant".

Biela moved to the UK in 2011 from his native Poland and has worked in construction and agriculture. 

His victim called on the judge to impose as "lower sentence as possible because he has children", adding that he could die in prison. 

But Judge Brian Forster said the attack had come as a "complete surprise and a shock to everyone" and Biela had inflicted a "huge wound".  

The judge said: "Your offending seems to have arisen as a result of your consumption of a large amount of vodka.

"Without intervention, your victim may have died."

Biela was jailed for nine years.

The judge added: "I would like to commend the officer who attended at the scene.

"For his intervention, one doesn’t know what the outcome would have been."