This is the moment a teenage thug who stabbed his neighbour more than 50 times in a ‘brutal’ attack was found cowering in bushes by police.
Haiden Tomlin, 19, left his victim with a punctured lung and broken rib after subjecting him to a horror assault at a block of flats in the early hours of September 1, 2024.
The teenager and his neighbour, who has not been named, both lived on the same floor of the Fairmeadow building in the centre of Maidstone, Kent.
Kent Police were called just before 3am after Tomlin and the man got into an altercation, which escalated into a fight inside another person’s flat.
Tomlin had fled by the time officers arrived, but the victim had to be rushed to hospital after they found him slumped in the same room with 51 separate stab wounds.
Other reports made to police detailed sightings of a man covered in blood leaving the building.
Searches of the immediate area were carried out and Tomlin was found hiding in an area of undergrowth by 4.50am.
CCTV footage from before the attack shows the thug walking up a flight of stairs in the block of flats before knocking on a door and then opening it.
This is the moment a teenage thug who stabbed his neighbour more than 50 times in a ‘brutal’ attack was found cowering in bushes by police
Haiden Tomlin, 19, left his victim with a punctured lung and broken rib after subjecting him to a horror assault at a block of flats in the early hours of September 1, 2024
Searches of the immediate area were carried out and Tomlin was found hiding in an area of undergrowth by 4.50am
Police bodycam recordings show the moment a topless Tomlin cowered from officers in the bushes before he was arrested.
Another clip after the arrest shows him trembling in handcuffs as he talks to the cops.
Officers also recovered a discarded lock knife and multi-tool outside the block of flats.
Tomlin was charged with attempted murder and pleaded not guilty at Maidstone Crown Court, arguing he had acted in self-defence.
The case then went to trial and he was convicted of an alternative charge of wounding with intent.
CCTV footage from before the attack shows the thug walking up a flight of stairs in the block of flats before knocking on a door and then opening it
Another clip after the arrest shows him trembling in handcuffs as he talks to the cops
He was today sentenced to five years and nine months in prison.
Detective Constable Nell Shortis, of Kent Police, said: ‘Tomlin argued his actions were in response to also being assaulted, however the sheer number of injuries he inflicted demonstrate a brutal and ferocious attack and one which the victim was fortunate to survive.
‘There can never be an excuse to carry weapons and any assault with a knife has the potential to end in tragedy.
‘If you decide to carry a blade or associate with individuals that do, you put yourself at risk of being seriously injured or worse.’
