Hammersmith Man Jailed for Slashing Victim's Throat
Shearwood of Shepherd's Bush Road sentenced to 12 and a half years
A Hammersmith man who slashed his victim's throat with a stanley knife has been sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison.
Stephen Martin Shearwood, 50, of Shepherd's Bush Road, had admitted a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.
His victim Gino Taffurelli had his throat slit after the attack at an Elvis tribute night at the Chessington Oak pub in Chessington, Surrey on Friday, September 13 last year.
Shearwood's accomplice John Clifford Thorp, 48, from Essex, who had pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm, also was sentenced to two years in prison.
Judge Susan Tapping sentenced the men on Tuesday March 18 after hearing evidence from Shearwood claiming he acted in self-defence after being "glassed" by Mr Taffurelli.
During the trial, Kingston Crown Court heard that Shearwood and Mr Taffurelli were known to each other as they had grown up in Roehampton together.
The pair moved to different areas and only met again about ten years later when Mr Shearwood was allegedly involved in a fight with Mr Taffurelli’s eldest son, Lee, in April 2011, the jury was told.
Two days later the Taffurelli family were involved in another fight with Mr Shearwood at the Fox pub in Upper Richmond Road in Putney.
The three Taffurrellis were all arrested after the brawl but declined to comment in police interviews, the court heard.
The court also heard about another argument between the group at a wake in a pub in Roehampton that ended with Mr Shearwood going to hospital.
Shearwood alleged that in total, he had 110 stitches and lost six or seven teeth from run-ins with the Taffurelli family.
Acting detective chief inspector Simon Day from Kingston police said: "The background to this case was centred round a long-standing feud.
"The sentences today reflect the seriousness of this assault. This should act as a warning to members of the public who are tempted to take the law into their own hands and commit violent acts."
March 20, 2014
