Young Derby man who 'lost it' and stabbed partner in the eye is jailed for 14 years

A 21-year-old Derby man who tried to kill his partner when he “lost it” as they sat on a bed together has been jailed for 14 years. Peter Krok punctured Neil Swain’s eyeball in a knife attack and then went on to stab him four more times to the head and neck, Derby Crown Court heard.

CCTV played on day one of his trial showed the blood-soaked victim answer the door to the police and ask them “is my eye hanging out?” while holding linen to his head to stem the flow from his wounds. After committing the attempted murder Krok, of Sinfin and who appeared for this week’s hearing over a video-link from HMP Nottingham, then went on the run for three weeks.

Sending him to prison, Judge Shaun Smith KC said: “This was an extremely explosive piece of violence, it was a spontaneous incident and it is a horrific injury for a man to lose his eye.

“There was clear evidence in the trial that (you) had the ability and propensity to come and go as you pleased (from the address). You were a drug addict who was benefiting from this relationship, to support your drug habit.

“You simply lost it and attacked Mr Swain, you went completely and utterly over the top. No doubt sulking and festering in annoyance he would not give you money for drugs. What you have done has changed his life.”

Prosecutor Andy Peet said Krok, formerly of Fleet Street and now of Glengarry Way, carried out the knife attack at the victim’s address in Fleet Street, on December 21, last year.

Opening the case, he said: “The prosecution’s case, in a nutshell, is that for about a year prior to Christmas, 2023, Peter Krok was in a relationship with a much older man, Neil Swain, who was almost 60. They were living together and the defendant was drug dependent, including cocaine, which he needed to get on a daily basis and Mr Swain gave him money to buy him drugs.

“On December 21, both were on the bed watching old episodes of Eastenders on TV. Out of nowhere, this defendant got a knife and stabbed Mr Swain without warning to the left side of his head.

“It fractured his eye socket and punctured his eyeball. He then stabbed him to the head at least four more times and you will know it is four more times because there are four stab wounds.”

Mr Peet said after stabbing Mr Swain, the knife was thrown out of the window and Krok left the address after the victim opened a safe and handed him money for drugs. The prosecutor said following the assault, medics were unable to save Mr Swain’s eye, removed it and he now has a false one in that socket.

He said Krok was arrested on January 8, this year, still wearing the coat he had on when the stabbing happened and which was analysed and had the victim’s blood on it. Following a three-day trial, a jury took around six hours of deliberation to convict the defendant of attempted murder by a majority of 11 to one.

His previous convictions include possession of a knife and assault with intent to rob.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Swain said he has weekly flashbacks of the incident which make him feel angry. He said: “The incident has affected my ability to form relationships .

“I always think if someone is talking to me they are thinking ‘what’s the matter with his eye?’.” Gregor Purcell, mitigating, said his client was still young, became a drug user at an early age and has a diagnosis of ADHD “to a high degree”.