Bar Bloo stab victim tells of attack horror as Rory Witten found GUILTY of attempted murder

Steven Finch, 48, needed life-saving surgery after he was attacked by Rory Witten at Bar Bloo in Sunderland on February 13.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that the men had not previously met and were the only customers in the bar at the time.

Mr Finch was slashed across the throat with the blade and stabbed in the neck and back, without warning, which led to him losing two litres of blood.

His life was saved due to rapid surgical intervention at hospital.

Witten, 40, denied attempting to murder Mr Finch and possessing of a bladed article but has been found guilty of both charges by a jury after a trial.

He will be sentenced at a later date but Mr Justice Morris warned he faces a "substantial custodial sentence" and remanded him in custody.

Prosecutor Matthew Bean told jurors Witten had been on a solo bar crawl in Sunderland before he arrived at Bar Bloo.

Mr Bean said: "The prosecution say that that, having been to a series of bars first in Seaham and then in Sunderland, this defendant went to Bar Bloo inSunderland shortly before 8pm that evening.

"He stood at the bar next to Steven Finch. He had never met or spoken to Mr Finch before.

"Without warning, the prosecution say this defendant took a knife from his jacket. He then approaches Mr Finch and slashes him across the throat.

"He also stabs him to the back of the neck and the back."

Jurors were told that throughout that Sunday afternoon, Witten was seen on CCTV attending a number of bars in the city before making his way to Bar Bloo at around 6pm.

At one point, he was asked to leave one pub because he became angry and threw a pool cue.

Jurors heard that he had told one stranger he was an MMA fighter, although the man thought he was "talking rubbish."

Mr Finch had gone to Bar Bloo to meet his friend, who was DJ at the venue and was standing chatting to him and scrolling his phone when he was attacked.

Jurors were shown a pre-recorded police interview with the victim, who told officers he felt a "nudge" before he realised something was wrong.

He said: "I was at the bar talking to Rob the DJ and a friend of mine who also works at Bar Bloo.

"I was just generally talking and playing on my phone and I thought nothing of it that this person was stood to the other side of me.

"We were briefly talking and the lad went behind me and I thought he had just gone to the toilet.

"He came to the side of me and I just felt a nudge in my neck and I thought nothing of it. Then I got another nudge and then I got two nudges in my neck as well.

"I didn't even realise I had been stabbed to be honest or been injured in anyway until I heard Rob, who is a very good friend of mine, shout 'he's got a blade.'

"I went to move and seen what I thought was a drink on the floor. It turned out to be my blood.

"I can't remember what happened after this but then Rob must have come across and grabbed whatever he could to stem the bleeding in my neck.

"The next thing I know, I could hear other voices. I remember turning to move and being told not to move because my shoulder was going dead."

Mr Finch said he remembered being placed onto a stretcher, but the next thing he recalled after that was waking up in ICU of the Sunderland Royal Hospital.

He suffered a wound to the right side of the neck which left a 9cm scar, as well as a stab mark to the back of the neck.

The attacker then left the bar before jogging through the streets of Sunderland in the direction of the bus station.

Witten, of Stavordale Street, Seaham, denied being the man seen on CCTV drinking in Sunderland or that he wasn't the person who inflicted the injuries on Mr Finch.

Detective Sergeant John Baines, of Northumbria Police, said: "First and foremost, I would like to state that there is absolutely no place for violence in our communities.

"This was a shocking incident which saw Witten launch a violent and unprovoked attack on a man he did not know. Thankfully, the victim pulled through however this could have very easily resulted in a fatality.

"Witten has then gone on to prolong proceedings for the victim by continuing to plead his innocence throughout, despite strong CCTV and forensic evidence mounting against him.

"In the end, it was fantastic work by everyone involved including our Forensic Services Department who were able to locate numerous fingerprints on a pint glass that Witten was drinking from whilst in the premises – and also finding the weapon used at Witten’s address which showed traces of the victim’s blood.

"Overall, this was a real team effort to bring Witten to justice and I would like to thank all of the officers and staff involved in this case.

"I am pleased that the jury has been able to convict Witten for his appalling crime, and we will continue to do everything we can to target perpetrators andbring effective justice against them."