A HOLIDAYMAKER was left fighting for his life after a knifeman stabbed him three times during a horror unprovoked attack at a popular caravan park.
Joshua Donnelly, 22, plunged a four-inch kitchen knife into the victim’s abdomen during a chaotic early-hours incident at Flamingo Land Resort in North Yorkshire.
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Police body-worn footage of the moment Joshua Donnelly is arrested Credit: North Yorkshire Police
Aerial view of Flamingo Land Resort in Yorkshire where the attack happened Credit: Alamy
The 38-year-old dad, who was enjoying a family holiday and staying in a nearby caravan, had tried to calm a domestic dispute involving Donnelly and his partner shortly after 1am.
But instead of the situation easing, violence erupted when Donnelly grabbed a black-handled knife from a caravan kitchen drawer.
Donnelly then launched the unprovoked attack, stabbing the holidaymaker three times in the abdomen.
The victim collapsed with devastating injuries, including a punctured colon, and was rushed to hospital by ambulance for emergency surgery.
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The entrance sign to Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire Credit: Alamy
Donnelly was jailed for four and a half years Credit: North Yorkshire Police
Donnelly fled the holiday park before police arrived.
Officers launched an urgent hunt and later that day stopped a car he was travelling in after it crossed into the Cleveland Police area.
Donnelly was arrested and taken into custody in Scarborough, while detectives worked to piece together exactly what had happened.
A gardener working at the holiday park found the knife hidden in bushes.
Forensic tests later linked the weapon to both Donnelly and the victim.
Detectives also gathered witness accounts and secured CCTV footage covering the area.
The overwhelming evidence led to Donnelly being charged before appearing at York Magistrates’ Court on September 20.
He was remanded in custody because of the seriousness of the offence and the danger he posed to the public.
At York Crown Court on Friday, Donnelly, of Duxford Road, Middlesbrough, was jailed for four and a half years after admitting Section 18 wounding with intent.
Only after the case was concluded did investigators reveal the full extent of the impact the attack had on the victim and his family.
In a heartbreaking statement read to the court, the holidaymaker described how what should have been a happy family break became “a nightmare”.
It outlined how the victim’s 15-year-old son “hasn’t been the same since” and also “hasn’t been at school since” the attack on his dad..
It read: “Whilst on holiday at the park we had a great time, I was there with my partner, my son, and my brother along with his family.
“What was a family holiday, has turned into a nightmare, not only for myself but my wider family too.
“Since the incident happened back in September, my whole family has been affected in some sort of way.
“I feel my life has changed completely and I have struggled dealing with what has happened.
“I would describe it as mental torture.
“Because of my injuries, my nerves in my right leg have been damaged meaning it’s a lot weaker and different to what it was.”
Police Investigator Liberty Ashton, from Scarborough and Ryedale CID, said: “Due to the overwhelming evidence stacked against Joshua Donnelly, he was left with very little option but to plead guilty to this terrible, vicious offence that could so easily have taken an innocent man’s life.
“Despite surviving the unprovoked knife attack, it has had a huge, long-term effect on the victim and his family.
“They have had to learn to live with everything that this senseless violent act has left behind.
“I really hope the outcome at court provides them with some comfort and strength to move forward with their lives.”
