Machete wielding thug left victim fighting for his life after stabbing him for no reason

A machete wielding thug left a man fighting for his life after stabbing him in the street for no reason. Callum Shelton knifed his victim in the stomach without warning during a horrifying attack committed in Salford in broad daylight, which was caught on camera.

Gruesome footage showed 23-year-old Shelton stab him once to the chest, as his victim fell to his knees and clutched his stomach. He was airlifted to hospital and was lucky to survive, Manchester Crown Court heard.

The pair were both homeless and knew each other. Heroin and crack cocaine addict Shelton routinely carried a knife because of the ‘dangerousness’ of living on the streets, the court heard.

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He claimed that his victim had spoken with him the day before, and asked to borrow some money because he knew Shelton had received a benefits payment. Shelton was sitting on a wall at about 5pm on Wednesday, February 15, as the victim began to walk by on Mandley Park Avenue, prosecutor Chloe Fordham said.

Suddenly Shelton got to his feet and told him ‘you’re not allowed here, you’re not allowed on my street’ before stabbing him. The victim fell to his knees and looked down to see his ‘stomach coming out’, feeling like he was ‘dying’.

He suffered grave, life-threatening injuries and was rushed to hospital to undergo surgery. He was discharged after nearly two weeks.

"It is far from clear what the reasons for the attack were,” sentencing judge Nicholas Dean KC told Shelton. "He in fact posed no threat to you.

"He was walking towards you, but not in any way that seemed to be aggressive. It may be that you saw him as someone who was a rival in terms of street begging.

"It