Aberdare man jailed for 12 years for vicious, unprovoked daytime stabbing

On Tuesday, January 9, Joshua Edwards, 31, from Aberaman, Aberdare, was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment at Merthyr Crown Court.

He was jailed for two counts of grievous bodily harm (GBH) and carrying an offensive weapon against, following an assault on 52-year-old Kevin Boggis from Godreaman, Aberdare.

Officers were called to Cobden Street, Aberdare, at around 4.10pm on Monday, April 17, following reports of a stabbing.

They found Kevin on the floor with three puncture wounds to his body; one to the chest, one to the stomach and one to the top of his left leg.

He was taken to University Hospital of Wales by air ambulance with life changing injuries.

Armed officers made enquiries in the area, alongside local officers and our dog section, and it quickly became apparent that Joshua Edwards was responsible for the attack.

Kevin had gone to the suspect’s house to speak to Joshua Edwards following an earlier altercation between Joshua Edwards and Kevin’s 74-year-old mother, whereby Joshua had been verbally abusive and threatening towards her.

Kevin simply wanted to speak to Joshua Edwards about his behaviour towards his mother, however, when he was walking back to his home address from Joshua Edwards’s home, Joshua followed him and struck him with a baseball bat which broke his arm and knocked him to the floor.

Whilst on the ground Joshua Edwards stabbed him three times. Despite his injuries, Kevin managed to wrestle the baseball bat out of Joshua Edward’s hands. Joshua Edwards fled the scene.

Fortunately for Kevin, members of the public and family members came to his assistance until emergency services arrived at the scene.

Kevin said:

“I would like to sincerely thank South Wales Police and all the attending officers who gave me CPR and the Detectives who put a strong case together against Joshua Edwards. Thank you to the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the case for all the support he has shown me and my family throughout the investigation.

“Additionally, I would like to offer a huge thank you to the Wales Air ambulance for acting quickly to help save my life. I will be forever grateful."

Detective Constable Joel Rees added:

"This was a particularly violent and unprovoked attack on Kevin which has left him with life changing injuries. The impact this assault has had on him continues to this day.

“I hope that this sentencing will allow him to begin to come to terms with the incident and move on from his ordeal knowing that Joshua Edwards is paying for his crime.”

Incidents involving knives can have tragic consequences. Knife crime is not a part of everyday life in South Wales, but we recognise the importance of taking action to prevent a problem occurring.

Learn more about our knife crime campaign, Not The One.