A woman and two teenage boys have been jailed for their involvement in the serious assault of a man in Southampton last year.

On October 26 the victim, a man in his 20s, was stabbed several times with a samurai sword on Laburnum Road, causing serious injuries to his chest, torso and arm. He was taken to hospital for treatment and was later discharged.

An investigation was launched and officers identified three suspects from eyewitness accounts and mobile phone footage captured at the scene.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, local police ramped up their patrols and detectives spent days carrying out forensics work at the scene, as well as reviewing CCTV footage and carrying out house to house enquiries. Section 60 orders were also implemented, giving officers additional powers of stop and search in the local area.

Barry Kayley Jr, previously known as Mohammad Mokhtar, 18, of Bluebell Road and Nicola Kayley, previously known as Asma Mokhtar, 46, of Bluebell Road, were arrested and charged in connection with the assault. Barry Kayley Jr pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit affray and threatening another with an offensive weapon, and Nicola Kayley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit affray, assisting an offender and careless driving at a court hearing in March 2024.

A 16-year-old boy from Southampton, was also arrested in connection with the incident and charged with attempted murder and grievous bodily harm with intent. He pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm but not guilty to attempted murder, and his case went to trial in April at Southampton Crown Court.

Following several hours of deliberation, a jury found him not guilty of attempted murder.

All three appeared at Southampton Crown Court today (Friday 14 June), where Nicola Kayley was sentenced to 31 months, Barry Kayley Jr sentenced to 11 months, and the 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, sentenced to 4 years and four months with an additional 3 years on extended licence.

Detective Constable Ellie Williams of Southampton’s Criminal Investigation Department, who led the investigation, said:“It is miraculous that the victim of this senseless and violent stabbing did not lose his life. Thanks to the rapid actions of members of the public, responding police officers and our NHS and South Central Ambulance Service colleagues, the victim survived his injuries, however he still faces lasting complications as a result of what happened to him. He will no doubt carry the trauma of this serious assault for the rest of his life. I sincerely hope that these convictions help him begin to move forward.

“I would like to thank my colleagues, whose dedication and hard work throughout a complex investigation ensured that we could present a thorough pack of evidence before the courts. We are pleased with this result today and that these three individuals will now face the consequences of what they have done.”

Southampton Chief Inspector Chris Douglas said: “Incidents of this nature are rightly and understandably concerning to members of the communities that they happen in. I want Southampton residents to know that knife crime is a priority for us and we are carrying out a significant amount of work in this area.

“Knife crime is not an issue that policing alone can solve, which is why we have strong links with our partnership agencies including local youth groups, Southampton City Council and charities who help us to educate young people intent on carrying a knife and start the early intervention work that underpins our communities-led policing response to knife crime.

“I would like to reassure people that when these incidents take place we work as hard as we can to bring offenders to justice and review our response so that we can continue to keep Southampton safe.”