Accrington man jailed for machete attack

Victim suffered wounds to his head, body and limbs

Author: Louisa KingPublished 9th Aug 2022

A man from Accrington has been jailed for six years and eight months for a machete attack which left his victim with serious injuries.

Martin Gilheaney, 21, attacked a 34-year-old man on Manchester Road in Accrington, around 6.15am on December 4 last year.

The victim suffered wounds to his head, torso, legs, arms and hands, with the incident captured on CCTV.

Gilheaney, of Duncan Square, Accrington, pleaded guilty to section 18 wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily and possession of a bladed weapon.

He was sentenced by Judge Richard Gioserano at Preston Crown Court on Monday, August 8.

Gilheaney and his victim had been involved in an altercation on Warner Street a few minutes earlier before going their separate ways.

But Gilheaney’s vehicle was then seen circling the area and then CCTY captured Gilheaney chasing the man on Manchester Road and then attack him, inflicting several hacking-type blows with the machete.

Detective Constable Kiren Shah who led the investigation, said: “This was a vicious attack with a machete and Gilheaney inflicted serious injuries on his victim.

“We welcome the sentence imposed by the judge.

“We treat crime involving weapons and knives with the utmost seriousness, it won’t be tolerated.”