A man from Salford has been jailed for eight years after being found guilty of wounding and possession of a bladed article.
Blane Latouche, born 15/12/1995, and of Hinchley Road, Charlestown, repeatedly stabbed his friend 11 times, leading to the victim’s arm being amputated.
In the early hours of Tuesday 2 July 2024, Latouche was driving around Manchester while taking nitrous oxide with a woman and a man in the car.
At around 4am, Latouche asked his friend to sit in the front next to him, switching seats with the woman.
Latouche then turned into a carpark on Ainsbrook Avenue in Charlestown. Once stopped, Latouche pulled out a knife and repeatedly stabbed his friend 11 times, with the woman begging him to stop.
The victim fell from the car and Latouche drove away, leaving him bleeding in the road.
Members of the public began first aid until officers and ambulance personnel arrived.
The victim was then taken to hospital and his right arm was later amputated due to the life-changing injuries he suffered.
Whilst emergency services colleagues were working to save the victim’s life, Latouche attempted to hide the evidence of his crime by driving into central Manchester and throwing the victim’s phone from the window, discarding the knife, parking the car away from his address and putting the clothes he wore during the attack in the washing machine.
Latouche was arrested later that day and in October 2025, he was found not guilty of attempted murder during a trial at Manchester Crown Court. He had previously pled guilty to wounding.
The investigation team trawled through a large volume of CCTV footage and required the use of expert forensic officers and the bravery of witnesses to provide evidence.
Officers used experts in blood pattern analysis to establish where the victim was attacked from in the car and where the offender would be sat in the car, which allowed them to show it was the driver who attacked him and not the rear seat passenger.
They then recovered blood off the inside of Latouche’s clothing that was found in the washing machine.
Detective Sergeant Leon Cawley-Bowyer from our Serious Crime Division said: “This shocking incident nearly had fatal consequences, and we were determined to find the person responsible.
“The victim spent the next year in hospital and has only recently began walking again. This has been an extremely traumatic time for them, having to not only deal with the mental trauma of the incident but the physical trauma of coming to terms with his injuries and having his arm amputated.
“Across City of Manchester North, officers are working tirelessly to tackle knife crime and violence associated with this type of criminality. Knife-enabled serious violence offences are down 32%, whilst stop searches have increased by 34%.
“This conviction further demonstrates GMP’s commitment to tackling knife crime.”
