42-year-old jailed after stabbing man’s neck and leaving him fighting for life

A 42-year-old has been jailed for more than a decade after leaving a man fighting for his life by stabbing him in the neck.Neil Donkin, 42, of Saddlebow Road in South Lynn, was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court yesterday after previously pleading guilty to wounding with intent.This followed an incident on August 22 last year when Donkin attacked his victim, leaving him with life-threatening injuries.

Emergency services, including paramedics, rushed to the scene and the man, in his 40s, was taken to Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hopsital – and later transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.Donkin originally denied attempted murder when he appeared for a pre-trial review at Norwich Crown Court, but later admitted wounding with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.Yesterday, he was handed a custodial sentence of 16 years and four months. It is believed he will spend five of those years out of prison on licence. The attempted murder charge was ordered to lie on file earlier this year.This means the judge agreed there was enough evidence for a case to be made, but that it was not in the public interest for any prosecution to proceed.