Man left his victim fighting for life after drug deal gone wrong

A DRUG dealer repeatedly stabbed a man and left him with life-threatening injuries in a drug deal "gone awry".

- PHILIP DEWEY Court correspondent

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 to meet with Scott Wheel, 28, to conduct a cocaine deal. But matters went 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.

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court yesterday 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.

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.

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 he described him returning and throwing his keys at him, telling him to "lock the door" in a panicked and shaken voice.