Romney Marsh thug given extended sentence for attempted Ashford knife attack and attempted arson in Charing
14:41, 23 July 2021
updated: 16:08, 23 July 2021
An extended sentence has been imposed on a man who slashed at a van driver with a knife and tried to set fire to a house.
Michael Bumstead admitted attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, arson and two counts of assaulting an emergency worker.
The 21-year-old, of Dengemarsh Road, Romney Marsh, appeared at Canterbury Crown Court on Wednesday and was jailed for six-and-a-half years and ordered to serve an extra two years on licence after that period.
The court heard how Bumstead was in an argument with an ex-partner in a car park in the Hillbrow Lane area of Ashford on June 15, 2020, when he started shouting at a man who was sitting in a van nearby.
He then took out a long bread knife and tried to stab the man through one of the vehicle’s open windows.
The man managed to avoid the knife and Bumstead kicked the van and ran off as the victim called the police.
On December 8, Bumstead and two other men were seen filling a jerry can with fuel at a petrol station near Charing.
"Bumstead is an unpredictable and dangerous man..."
Less than an hour later, they threw lighted bottles of fuel at a property linked to an ex-partner.
Two police officers were carrying out separate enquiries in the area at the time and were alerted to the arson. They then traced Bumstead to the village's railway station.
During his arrest, Bumstead knocked one of the PCs to the ground and threatened to throw the other officer on to the train tracks.
Investigating officer PC Sophia Lateu said: "These offences prove Bumstead is an unpredictable and dangerous man and I am pleased this investigation has led to him being removed from the streets of Kent.
"No one should have to put up with threats or violence from a partner or ex-partner and I urge anyone who is experiencing such abuse to contact Kent Police or confide in someone they trust so that action can be taken."
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