Man left victim fighting for his life after travelling 100 miles to meet him

Wales Online

6 hours ago

Man left victim fighting for his life after travelling 100 miles to meet him
Scott Wheel, 28, suffered life-threatening injuries including four stab wounds inflicted by Ricco Douglas, 25, who had travelled from Birmingham to Llandrindod Wells to conduct a drug deal.
Ricco Douglas, 25, wounded Scott Wheel by stabbing him four times after a drug deal "went awry"
(Image: Dyfed-Powys Police )
A drug dealer repeatedly stabbed a man and left him with life threatening injuries in a drug deal "gone awry". The victim suffered substantial bleeding in his chest and a collapsed lung which required him to undergo hours of surgery to save his life.
Ricco Douglas, 25, had driven from his home in Birmingham to Llandrindod Wells in order to meet with Scott Wheel, 28, in order to conduct a cocaine deal. But matters went terribly wrong and Mr Wheel drew a blade which the defendant disarmed him of and used to stab him four times to the chest and back.
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A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Monday heard Douglas had become involved in the planned exchange, which was organised by Calum Samuel who had met the defendant in prison and was known to Mr Wheel. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter.
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As he travelled to Llandrindod Wells in his mother's Ford Kuga, Douglas was in touch with Samuel about the deal and arrived at Hillcrest Rise at around 8pm on December 14 last year.
A resident who lived nearby later described hearing the sound of people running which caused him to look out of the bedroom window.
He said he saw two or three men run around a parked car and one of the men was fighting with two others, who were dressed in black. The witness later changed his account to say there were only two men at the scene.
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In his opening, prosecutor Michael Jones KC said: "Ricco Douglas at some point repeatedly stabbed Mr Wheel with a knife to the point Mr Wheel suffered life-threatening injuries."
At around 8.15pm, Mr Wheel's friend Liam Langley was at the victim's home nearby when described Mr Wheel returning and throwing his keys at him, telling him to "lock the door" in a panicked and shaken voice.
Mr Langley said he thought someone was pursuing Mr Wheel, who tried to pull his top up. Mr Langley said he could see the victim was "saturated in blood".
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Calum Samuel, 23, was found to have been involved in the supply of almost 2kg of cocaine after his associate stabbed another associate.
(Image: Dyfed-Powys Police )
Mr Wheel said: "I don't feel good, I don't feel good, I have been hit". Mr Langley told his friend he had been stabbed, and described him as "panicked, swearing, with the eyes rolling in the back of his head".
The court heard Mr Wheel passed out in the kitchen but Mr Langley revived him and took him to the living room, where he applied pressure to his wounds with tea towels.
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The emergency services were called and armed response officers were dispatched to the scene, where they found relatives of Mr Wheel inside and outside the property who had been called to provide assistance.
The victim was overheating, struggling to breathe and could only speak in whispers. His injuries were described as "life-threatening" and the decision was made to transport him to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff by road, in a journey which took an hour and 30 minutes.
Mr Wheel was found to have suffered four stab wounds, two to the left side of the chest wall, each measuring four to five centimetres, and two wounds of the lower back close to the spine, each measuring two to three centimetres.
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There were significant amounts of blood in the chest cavity and one of the lungs had been punctured, causing it to collapse.
The chest wall was drained of fluid, the back wounds were closed and the victim received blood and plasma transfusions.
An emergency operation was carried out, a procedure which lasted four hours, during which a lung was removed and puncture injuries to the diaphragm and spleen were stitched.
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Following the operation, Mr Wheel was diagnosed with a chest infection but he was discharged from hospital on December 22 with pain relief medication. He did not attend any follow-up appointments and refused to cooperate with the police investigation.
An examination was carried out on £180 of cash found in a flower bed in Hillcrest Rise which was found to contain blood belonging to both Douglas and Mr Wheel.
Cash amounting to £2,340 found in Mr Wheel's home was also examined and was found to contain the victim's blood and traces of cocaine. Swabs taken from Mr Wheel's car were also found to contain traces of cocaine.
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The police looked for vehicles which had entered Llandrindod Wells shortly before the stabbing and left immediately afterwards, and saw the defendant's vehicle had been picked up by ANPR cameras.
The Ford Kuga was seen by officers near the Hagley Roundabout in Stourbridge at 9.50pm and efforts were made to box in Douglas, but he failed to stop and managed to evade the police.
The car was later found abandoned in the West Midlands with the key left inside. Blood staining inside the vehicle was found to belong to Douglas and his DNA was found in various places.
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On December 17, the defendant was seen by police driving an Audi A3 in Coventry Road, Birmingham and the vehicle was brought to a stop by a stinger device.
Douglas, of Pershore Road, Edgbaston, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder but he later pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The court heard he has previous convictions for possession of a bladed article and multiple robberies. For the latest robbery, he was sentenced to six years imprisonment and subject to licence at the time of the attack on Mr Wheel.
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In mitigation, Michael Mather-Lees KC said a search of Mr Wheel's premises resulted in the discovery of a "substantial amount" of drugs and cash, and two prohibited weapons including a Glock and blank firing pistol. The barrister suggested the victim may have been armed at the time of the incident.
Mr Mather-Lees accepted his client had acted "excessively" but said the defendant "wishes to change his way of life".
Sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams said: "I am satisfied you were both involved in a drug deal and there was an argument inside in the car which continued outside the car. Scott Wheel pursued you and produced a knife. During a scuffle you disarmed him and stabbed Scott Wheel a number of times and you accept in doing so you used excessive force.... The knife has not been recovered."
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Douglas was sentenced to a total of five years and three months imprisonment.
Calum Samuel was sentenced to five years and six months imprisonment at an earlier hearing, having pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
Following the hearing, Dyfed-Powys Police detective chief superintendent Ross Evans said: 'This was a violent incident which occurred on a residential street, just before Christmas last year. It was highly fortunate that there was no loss of life which would have deprived a family of a loved one.
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"We know this incident has been a shock for the local community, in particular for those most affected.
"We welcome the sentencing of Ricco Douglas today and hope it provides clear reassurance to everyone that we will not tolerate violence on our streets.
"I would like to thank all the first responders and the staff at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, on the night for the level of care and treatment provided to the victim, which may well have saved his life. I would also like to thank our police officers and staff, who demonstrated great determination to bring the offender to justice on behalf of the victim and his family and the wider community.'
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