Man Jailed For Guildford Pub Stabbing

Published on: 14 Mar, 2018
Updated on: 15 Mar, 2018

Mark Golding

A man has been jailed for three and a half years for a stabbing in a public house in Guildford last year.

Mark Ian Golding, 53, of Springside Court, Guildford, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possession of a bladed article and driving with excess alcohol when he appeared at Blackfriars Crown Court on Thursday (March 8). He was also disqualified from driving for 39 months.

The incident happened on the evening of Thursday, March 9, 2017, at the Wetherspoons pub in Bridge Street.

The 52-year-old victim suffered a stab wound to his hand, whilst a second victim was knocked unconscious by Golding.

The incident began following a verbal altercation in the pub earlier that afternoon, with Golding being removed from the premises. CCTV images showed him outside the pub, aggressively gesturing towards a group of men he had tried to start an argument with earlier.

Golding then returned to his home on the outskirts of Guildford, where he armed himself with two knives and put on a ski mask in an effort to hide his identity. He returned to the pub, where he confronted the group he had encountered earlier.

Armed with a knife, he grabbed one victim, and punched him unconscious, before kicking him whilst he was lying on the floor. When a second man went to help his friend, Golding pulled a second knife, stabbing the victim in his hand as he tried to defend himself. When officers arrived to arrest Golding, he sped off from them in a BMW, before being detained on Parkway.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Richard Pegden said: “This was a pre-meditated attack, with Golding’s actions having a huge impact on the two victims in this case.

“The wound to one victim showed he was clearly trying to defend himself, and the footage from the pub CCTV of the attack on the first victim was horrific. In both cases, they were extremely lucky that the injuries were not more serious.

“I hope this case demonstrates that if you choose to carry a knife you are in danger of either seriously injuring, or worse killing someone, and if you do commit that kind of crime you will face a long period of time behind bars.

“We will not tolerate knife crime in this county and the sentence shows just how seriously it is being taken, with Golding losing his liberty for the foreseeable future.”