A TEENAGER burned his clothing after a Kendal town centre stabbing which left his victim needing surgery and permanently scarred.

Carlisle Crown Court heard 19-year-old Dylan Kempster invited three young men into an alleyway off Highgate for a fight at around 10.45pm on Saturday, April 16.

As Kempster, then aged 18, ended up on the ground, he used a pen knife to slash and stab 19-year-old Billy Tomlinson. The victim suffered a puncture wound to his left thigh but, more seriously, the knife also went through around a third of his bicep, severing a sensory nerve.

Mr Tomlinson underwent a four-hour operation and had to wear a cast for a month. Although the injuries had healed within weeks, the court was told two “nasty scars” remained.

And in a statement, Mr Tomlinson had described the ongoing impact of the attack, particularly on his girlfriend and family; of being “on edge” and his social activities being curtailed.

Of Kempster in the aftermath of the attack, prosecutor Brendan Burke said: “He fled the scene, burned his clothing but handed himself in the next day.”

Kempster, of Gillinggate, Kendal, admitted unlawfully wounding and offensive weapon possession on the day he was due to stand trial in front of a jury, although his pleas had been offered some time earlier.

Jacob Dyer, mitigating, spoke of previous online issues between Kempster and one of the two other young men, including possible bullying. At the time Kempster accepted he was using cannabis and had been “a little paranoid” about the earlier internet exchanges. “It is not significant planning and premeditation. It is a chance meeting in town,” said Mr Dyer of the incident. “He made a bad decision. He was on the ground, he produces a knife and obviously lashes out with that and causes the injuries.”

Since his arrest, Kempster had served the equivalent of a four-month prison sentence in custody on remand and then while subject to a curfew after being released. He was a man of previous good character, had shown signs of settling down and was pursuing a college IT course.

Passing sentence, Recorder Peter Horgan stated: “The use of knives to cause any form of assault or injury is one that the court will not tolerate.”

But Recorder Horgan concluded there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and that he could “just” suspend 21 months’ imprisonment for two years, in view of his age and efforts made since the offence.

Kempster must complete 200 hours’ unpaid work, a three-month night time curfew and was banned from contacting her other three young man for five years.