Daniel Franklin and Frankie Harris jailed after Maidenhead stabbing

Friends Daniel Franklin and Frankie Harris, both 21 and from Maidenhead, were locked up after an altercation at flats on Shoppenhangers Road in April 2021 which left the victim clinging on for life.

The sentencing judge said it was a matter of ‘luck’ and the skills of the surgeons who saved the victim’s life that the pair were not being sentenced for murder and manslaughter.

Reading Crown Court heard how the incident occurred after Harris, of Ellington Park, had started speaking to a woman who worked as a ‘social influencer’.

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She had parted with her former partner after they had been arguing due to his concerns over her line of work, the court heard.

The woman met with Harris on April 14, 2021 when her former partner encountered them together at around 10pm.

The two men got into an altercation and Harris called his friend, Daniel Franklin, to back him up for support.

Daniel Franklin

Franklin, of Raymond Road, brought a knife with him to the scene and stabbed his friend’s love rival, leaving him needing life-saving surgery at the John Radcliffe hospital.

Timothy Banks, defending for Franklin, said his client had ‘learnt his lesson’ and that he was ‘totally remorseful.’

“He hates what he has done and still struggles to fully explain why he did it”, the barrister added.

Mark Kimsey, defending for Harris, said this was a “sad incident for all involved”.

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Mr Kimsey said Harris was unaware Franklin would bring a knife to the scene.

“This is a young man who highly regrets what occurred and wishes he wasn’t before the court”, Mr Kimsey continued.

Her Honour Judge Nott, sentencing, said the lives of all three men involved were “turned upside down” on the day of the incident.

“The victim almost lost his life and he is still suffering mentally and physically because of your actions”, the judge added.

Frankie Harris

“Your only saving grace is through the skills of the surgeons at the John Radcliffe hospital, this is not a murder and the two of you are not looking at spending the rest of your lives in prison for murder and manslaughter.

“That is the sad reality of what happens when young men carry knives.

“It is a matter of luck of who dies and who doesn’t.”

In her sentencing remarks Judge Nott said she accepted the defendants’ immaturity and their ‘genuine remorse’.

She sentenced Franklin to 9.5 years in prison for wounding with intent and Harris to 3.5 years in prison for the same conviction.

Harris and Franklin were sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Monday, February 28.