Men who rammed teen in car and stabbed him are jailed

Three men have been sentenced for their roles in an assault on a boy who was knocked off his bicycle by a car.

Jack Ancell, 24, Charlie Clark, 24, and Aiden Barber, 22, were involved in the attack on the boy on 28 July 2025 in which he was driven into, and then assaulted on the ground, Sussex Police said.

The boy was knocked through a garden fence and street sign, and was then further assaulted including being stabbed as he lay injured on the ground at about 17:40 BST on Sydney Road, Haywards Heath.

The men then fled the scene when they were challenged by members of the public, a police spokesperson said.

Officers traced the Vauxhall Corsa used in the incident and the three men were identified and arrested.

They were charged with causing grievous bodily harm and with possession of a bladed article in public.

All three admitted the offences in court.

However, the court did not deliver a verdict on who was driving the car at the time of the incident.

At Lewes Crown Court, Ancell was sentenced to seven years in prison and was given an extended three-year period on licence due to dangerousness.

Clark was jailed for seven years and Barber was sentenced to six years and three months in prison.

Ch Insp Steve Turner said the violence shown by Ancell, of Sayers Common, Clark, of Hurstpierpoint, and Barber, of Burgess Hill, was "appalling", adding: "There is simply no excuse for the violence they inflicted on the victim."

He said: "By using a vehicle as a weapon they put the life of the victim in danger, as well as other road users in the area.

"They then continued by stabbing and seriously assaulting the seriously injured victim on the ground in a cowardly attack.

"They are now learning the consequences and will be serving significant custodial sentences."

Update 15 April: This article originally said that Jack Ancell deliberately drove at the victim and rammed him through a garden fence. This was based on information from Sussex Police, who also provided a quote about Ancell using the vehicle as a weapon. Sussex Police have since provided an update clarifying that the court did not deliver a verdict on who was driving the car at the time of the incident and so we have removed these lines from the story.

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