Man jailed for 27 years for 'unprovoked' Reading attack
29 year old Tharel Thomson, from Barbados, was visiting family in the UK when he was attacked
Last updated 21st Aug 2024
A man who attacked a holidaymaker inside of a Reading bar has been jailed for 27 years for attempted murder.
2\3 year old Krisma Anthony, of Repository Road, Greenwich, was convicted following a trial at Reading Crown Court, after the incident at Walkabout in Wiston Terrace on February 11.
He had earlier admitted possession of a knife in a public place.
2\9 year old Tharel Thomson, from Barbados, was visiting family in the UK at the time of the assault.
He suffered life changing injuries as a result of being stabbed in the head in a corridor inside the bar.
Jahlil Charles, aged 23, of no fixed abode, was acquitted of both charges.
Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Nick Hind, of the Major Crime Unit at Thames Valley Police, said: “Whatever the cause of disagreement between Mr Thompson and Anthony, there can be no doubt that this was a vicious, needless and apparently unprovoked attack.
“He left Mr Thompson for dead in the corridor of the nightclub before making good his escape.
“Mr Thompson sustained very severe injuries, and it is nothing short of a miracle that he did not die as a result of this attack.
“I would like to pay tribute to the expertise of the surgeons who operated on Mr Thompson and the nurses and other medical professionals that provided incredible care for him.
“However, despite this, the impacts that this attack has had on Mr Thompson are life changing in the extreme.
“As well as permanent scarring, Mr Thompson will never be able to fully recover to lead a full and active life as a result of this vicious assault."
“I would like to wish Mr Thompson and his family all good wishes for the future, which they will have to live with coping with the significant implications from this horrific incident.”
"The call I received, no mother ever wants to hear."
Victim Tharel Thompson is continuing his recovery. In a statement, his mother said:
“I now know, first-hand, what the saying means ‘Your life can change in a split second’.
“The call I received, no mother ever wants to hear.
“It caused my blood pressure to go through the roof, from all the crying and screaming.
“My body went through something it never did before. I had to borrow money to get on the first flight out from Barbados to the UK that same evening. The flight was the longest eight hours of my life.
“When I first saw Tharel in the ICU, it was heart wrenching. I’ll never forget seeing his head being so swollen. My heart was constantly beating fast, whenever I walked in to visit him, during the stage where he was in a coma.
“Up to this day, I don’t know the damage it has caused to my heart as I am yet to be checked by a doctor. It was very difficult to look at him, especially when his head was completely sunken in, as if half his head was gone.
“Since this happened to Tharel, I have had to relocate to the UK. I lost my home where I lived with Tharel, so whenever we return to Barbados, we will have no place to live.
"I lost my vehicle, because I could no longer afford payments. I have lost over $60,000 (Barbados dollars) that I made in payments alone for the vehicle, as I now have no income, and I had to sign it back to the company I bought it from.
“I may be on the verge of losing my job, which I have been in for over 19 years, and have been on unpaid leave since leaving home.
“I have had many sleepless nights, with just 2 hours sleep. Gradually this was four hours, but since he has been out of rehab, I hardly get any sleep because I have to constantly and closely monitor him. I feel like a walking zombie.
“Now that Tharel is out of rehab, I have had to give him 24 hour care, in terms of bathing, dressing him, preparing meals, everything. It is the same as caring for a baby.
“Before this happened to Tharel, he was a very independent person, but now he has lost this completely. "