A TRIO who left a man’s bowels spilling from his stomach after luring him to a vicious three-on-one knife attack have been handed sentences totalling more than 70 years.

Donald Adu, Calvin Armstrong and a 16-year-old boy, who can now be named as Ermias Yohannes, had denied attempting to murder Leon Sobers in Mandeville Road, Marks Tey, on Halloween last year.

But they were convicted after a trial at Ipswich Crown Court.

Mr Sobers had received a call earlier in the day from a man referring to himself as Rico saying he was trying to establish new drug lines and had free testers available.

They arranged to meet and Mr Sobers eventually saw three males with Yohannes wearing a skeleton mask.

Armstrong, 22, initially asked whether Mr Sobers had any names for him, and Adu, 25, said he recognised him from a previous occasion.

Mr Sobers believed he was being set up and tried to get away but felt a sharp pain in his shoulder which was later found to be a stab wound.

He ran back to Mandeville Road while they chased him with one shouting ‘Get him and don’t let him go’.

Realising he could not get away, Mr Sobers began banging on doors to try to get help but was eventually attacked again.

The group ran away and Mr Sobers was initially treated for several stab wounds by an ex-paramedic who happened to live nearby - including a protruding bowel.

He was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries but survived.

The catalyst for the attack is believed to have been the mistaken belief Mr Sobers had been involved in the robbery of one of the group’s associates – a teenage Class A drug dealer.

Adu and Armstrong were jailed for 26 years in prison apiece and Yohannes 19 years because he is a child but was deemed a serious risk to the public.

There will be 14 years in custody and at least a five year extended license period.

Sentencing the group, Judge Martyn Levett described the attack as “savage and brutal” which left Mr Sobers almost dead on a doorstep and was orchestrated by Adu to protect the drug line.

He said: “The fact there was a failure to kill was solely down to the people opening their front door which stopped the sustained and repeated attack.

“I have not been able to detect any trace of restraint and I am quite sure there were at least two knives.

“Every weapon carried in public carried with it a risk.”

"I have tried over the last few months to sentence people to significant custodial periods to try and deter others."

Mr Sobers is still suffering the after effects of the attack, has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and needs day to day care.

In mitigation the court was told Adu, of Howard Road, London, was “secondary” in the attack and had previously helped police when he was a witness to unrelated crimes.

Armstrong, of Westbury Road, Barking, had previously helped produce an anti-knife podcast and was concerned a length sentence would limit his relationship with his young daughter.

He was on licence at the time of the attack after serving a sentence for dangerous driving and possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

Yohannes, of Eagle Drive, Colchester, was found with 270 wraps of Class A when he was arrested and admitted possession with intent to supply.

Kevin Toomey, mitigating, said Yohannes had now accepted his role in the attack and had been recruited by Adu to deal drugs.