Jailed: ‘Dangerous’ Dagenham brothers who stabbed a man in Rainham pub

Brothers from Dagenham have been jailed for 28 years for stabbing a man in Rainham over a “minor dispute”.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday, Louis Phillips, 20, from Hardie Road, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. His 22-year-old brother, Connor, also of Hardie Road, was given 16 years, to serve a minimum of 10 with two on licence.

On January 27 in the Albion pub in Rainham, Louis was confronted by a group of men who’d seen him push a woman over. Louis rang his brother, who arrived in a white van.

A 24-year-old who was part of the group left the pub, but was followed out by Louis, who hit him with a belt and stabbed him twice in the side.

Connor arrived and stabbed the victim twice in the shoulder. The brothers fled in the van, which was found burned a mile away in Castle Avenue.

On February 24, the men were arrested on suspicion of grevious bodily harm with intent. They were taken to a police station in east London and charged with Section 18 wounding, affray, and possession of an offensive weapon.

They both denied the offences.

On July 27, following a trial that lasted almost two weeks, the men were found guilty of their charges and were remanded in custody for sentencing.

Detective Inspector Jason Prendergast said: “These brothers carried out a senseless and brutal attack on the victim over what on the face of it appears to have been a minor dispute.

“They decided that they would use a knife to settle the dispute, causing significant injuries to the victim.

“They have been rightly described as dangerous individuals and the sentences handed down by the court reflect the nature of the offence and the complete disregard for the victim.

“We will continue our work to remove those people from the community who take the decision to carry knives.

“I hope that the removal of these brothers from the community will make others pause for thought before they find themselves in the same position.”