The 38-year-old dad had to be rushed to hospital by ambulance for emergency surgery due to a punctured colon after he stepped in to try and break up a dispute during his family holiday
A holidaymaker was left fighting for his life after being stabbed three times during a horror unprovoked attack at a popular caravan park.
A Teesside man who carried out the attack at a North Yorkshire holiday park has been jailed for four and a half years. Joshua Donnelly, 22, of Duxford Road, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to the offence of Section 18 wounding with intent and was sentenced on Friday June 12 at York Crown Court.
The incident happened at Flamingo Land Resort, Kirby Misperton, near Pickering, just after 1am on Thursday 18 September last year. Donnelly stabbed the victim with a four-inch black-handled knife that he had got from the caravan’s kitchen drawer.
This was in the wake of a domestic dispute Donnelly had been having with his partner, during which the victim had attempted to calm the situation down. Donnelly stabbed him three times in his abdomen. The 38-year-old from the Scottish Borders, who was on a family holiday and staying in a nearby caravan, had to be rushed to hospital by ambulance for emergency surgery due to a punctured colon.
With police officers heading to the crime scene, Donnelly made off from the holiday park. Following extensive enquiries and searches, a car he was travelling in was stopped by officers over the Cleveland Police border later that day. Donnelly was arrested and later charged with the stabbing.
Police Investigator Liberty Ashton, from Scarborough and Ryedale CID, said: “Due to the overwhelming evidence stacked against Joshua Donnelly, he was left with very little option but to plead guilty to this terrible, vicious offence that could so easily have taken an innocent man’s life.
“Despite surviving the unprovoked knife attack, it has had a huge, long-term effect on the victim and his family. They have had to learn to live with everything that this senseless violent act has left behind. I really hope the outcome at court provides them with some comfort and strength to move forward with their lives.”
Victim personal statement read out in court (adapted to protect identities)
The victim said: “I am making this statement in relation to a crime I was a victim of back in September 2025 whilst on holiday with my family at Flamingo Land. Whilst on holiday at the park we had a great time, I was there with my partner, my son, and my brother along with his family.
“What was a family holiday, has turned into a nightmare, not only for myself but my wider family too. Since the incident happened back in September, my whole family has been affected in some sort of way.
“My son, who is 15 years old, hasn’t been the same since. I worry about him. He has become a lot quieter; he used to be social and go out with his friends often. Since the incident happened, he hardly goes out with friends anymore, he is terrified. I have noticed he has become more attached to my partner and I; he used to sit in his bedroom on a night as teenagers do. However, now he sits with us in the living room and spends more time with us than ever before.
“My son hasn’t been at school since; he now completes work given to him from home. I don’t want him having to worry and want him to get back to being a teenager, it’s been difficult.
“My brother and his family who were away with us have been impacted massively by what they experienced. I have been blaming myself for this and for going to their caravan.
“Both my parents have been impacted since the incident; they have been full of worry. My mum’s health has deteriorated massively since, which has been an additional concern that we have all had to deal with.
“In terms of myself, I feel my life has changed completely and I have struggled dealing with what has happened. Talking about this now, has put a lump in my throat, and I never used to be a crier. I have been through a lot in life however this has knocked me, I have never experienced anything like this. I never would have imagined I would have.
“I have found it difficult to speak about what happened to me, and to speak about how it has made me feel. I am trying to bring myself to go speak to a professional, but I have been burying my head, hoping it goes away. I feel I have handled it by throwing myself back into life, I’ve been trying to do too much that I would have been able to cope with prior to the stabbing.
“But that hasn’t worked, I’m feeling helpless. It’s been hard and I have a lot I still need to deal with. My mental health because of the incident has massively declined. I haven’t wanted to be around people which has not only affected my personal relationships but my ability to maintain my employment. I would describe it as mental torture.
“Because of my injuries, my nerves in my right leg have been damaged meaning it’s a lot weaker and different to what it was. I am self-conscious of the way I walk now, which I think is a big part of why I struggle to socialise.
“My difficulties with mobility have not only affected my employment, but my home life, we have had to adjust. My partner took on the care responsibilities for me particularly when I first came home from hospital. We couldn’t have ever imagined to taking on these roles so early on in life especially under these circumstances.
“I could not get upstairs in our home for over a month. We had to get a bed for the living room, and my partner slept downstairs beside me on the sofa in case I needed her through the night.
“We got a bath board for me; I had to be washed by my partner due to not being capable of doing so myself. It was horrible. I remember the first time I showered alone, I cried as it was such a big moment for me.
“Despite no longer being on medication, the mental toll and long-term physical effects will be something I will carry with me for the foreseeable. I have not slept decently since the stabbing; my mind plays the events repeatedly. I relive it.
“Following on, over the last six months I have nearly lost my job due to not being able to cope with the daily tasks and struggling to explain to my management about what happened to me.
“I still have the fear of losing my job daily which contributes to the financial stresses my partner and I have been experiencing. When I was off work initially, we were really struggling for money, we had to take out a loan from my work. Which we are still repaying, along with the added interest.
“We had no choice but to due to me not being able to work, this debt is now hanging over us.”
