A knifeman who was caught on CCTV repeatedly stabbing a terrified teenage girl has been caged for 38 years.
Ellis Dismore, 24, posed as a teenage boy before plaguing his victim with threats, stalking her and following her on the street. Horror CCTV and dashcam footage captured the attack in Middlesbrough as he flaunted the knife, reports the Mirror.
He then chased the teen down and stabbed her five times in the back as she screamed for help before a passing motorist got her into their car and drove away. The girl, who recognised Dismore’s voice but had never seen him before, said the female driver saved her life.
(Image: Cleveland Police)
Dismore, of Middlesbrough, was found guilty of 26 offences including attempted murder and inciting eight other girls he met online to engage in sexual activity. He will have to serve a further five years on extended licence after being deemed dangerous.
The sicko posed as a teenage boy called James Wilson when he met the girl online in 2022. In a statement read to the court, the girl said she had been a “normal, happy” teenager who enjoyed socialising. However, Dismore began to control her with threats to the point where she did not want to leave the house.
“I did what he told me to because I was scared what would happen to me, my friends and family,” the girl said, adding that he demanded explicit pictures of her. She eventually confessed to a friend who told her to block him online, but when she did, he sent the pictures to multiple individuals causing her to feel “terrified” of meeting anyone who had seen them. She eventually confided in her mum, who contacted the police.
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Dismore sent her threatening voice messages, claiming he would happily do “jail time” for stabbing her in the heart. In chilling Snapchats he is heard saying that he will “f*****g get her raped and stabbed”. He adds: “I don’t even f*****g care as well if I get f*****g jail, yeah, ’cause I will happily, right, ruin her life. I will happily, yeah, put the knife straight in her heart and spin it around as all the blood pours out.”
He was also captured on CCTV buying a pack of steak knives from a supermarket before he viciously attacked the girl on 22 June 2023. Other victims said Dismore – again posing as teenager James – forced them into sending him indecent images of themselves. Judge Timothy Stead said Dismore was “dangerous” and had been “insidious” in his efforts to befriend the girls.
(Image: PA)
He added that no-one had calculated exactly how many girls Dismore had made contact with as he hunted for his next victim. He added: “You must have been devoting an enormous amount of time and energy to this criminal activity.” The victim of the stabbing could “count herself very fortunate” she was not killed, the judge said.
He added: “That her life was in peril cannot be doubted.”
Speaking outside court, Det Sgt Andrew Hamilton, of Cleveland Police, commended the bravery of the women and girls who came forward.
“Over seven years, Dismore used fake social media accounts to groom a number of young girls and enticed them into sending indecent images. He made vile threats towards them and sent sickening voice notes threatening to rape and stab them,” he said.
“Dismore’s offending escalated when he attacked one 15-year-old girl in the street with a knife in a terrifying assault as she went home from school, leaving her with serious injuries. Had she not been saved by a courageous passer-by, she could have lost her life.” A sexual harm prevention order and restraining order banning Dismore from contacting any of his nine victims were also made.