Man who broke into home with knife and assaulted man convicted

A man who broke into a home armed with a knife in Stoke-on-Trent and inflicted serious injuries on a man has been convicted in court.

Sean McCann, 40, of Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded guilty on Monday (26 October) to aggravated burglary and arson at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

We were first called to Blakelow Road in Abbey Hulton on 13 September when a car fire was reported. Officers went to check on the registered keeper of the car while firefighters extinguished the blaze.

When we got to the registered keeper’s home, the front door was open. Officers went inside and found the man with significant injuries, including wounds to his shoulder, face, arms, legs and hands. He also had a fractured eye socket and a broken nose.  

The man was taken to hospital and we started working to find out what happened to him.

After looking at CCTV and carrying out forensics at the scene, we were able to identify McCann as the person responsible. He was then arrested at his home and brought in for questioning, where he denied being involved.

We found a flick blade in McCann’s car.

Despite originally denying he was involved, we built substantial evidence against McCann, leading him with little choice but to plead guilty.

He has now been remanded into prison ahead of his sentencing at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on 5 February 20267.

DC Andrew Cannon, from CID North, said: “An incident of this nature is bound to have a substantial effect both physically and mentally on the victim in this case, who continues to receive treatment.

“With the help of the local community in sharing information and supporting officers with their work, we were able to identify McCann and take robust action against him, making sure he was convicted and made to answer for his crimes."