FOUR teenagers have appeared for sentencing in Taunton Crown Court for their parts in an incident three years ago in which a Wellington man was stabbed in the head.

All four youths escaped custody when Judge Richard Shepherd handed down sentences on Friday (July 31).

Judge Shepherd made an order preventing publication of any information identifying the youngsters, all now aged 18 years but who were 15 and 14 years old at the time of the incident.

The attack happened in Roly Poly Green, near Alexandra Road, while the vicim was making his way home in the early hours of Monday, May 29, 2023.

The man was treated in Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, and allowed home later the same day.

The youths, one of whom lives in Wellington, one in Bishops Lydeard, and the other two in Taunton, each faced three charges.

But, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) offered no evidence against any of them on charges of wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent.

It also dropped a lesser count of wounding against three of the youths, who each instead pleaded guilty to a charge of affray.

The fourth, from Taunton, admitted possessing a knife in a public place and wounding with intent.

Judge Shepherd sentenced him to a total of 14 months in prison, but suspended it for two years.

He also ordered the youth to attend up to 30 days of rehabilitation activities supervised by the probation service and to carry out 200 hours’ community work and pay compensation of £2,500.

The teenagers who admitted affray were each ordered to pay £2,500 compensation and given community order sentences, with two of them to carry out 200 hours of community work and up to 20 days of rehabilitation activity supervised by the probation service, and the third told to complete 160 hours of community work.