Middlesbrough man guilty of attempting to murder teenager

Ellis Dismore bought two steak knives before tracking down the teenager after she broke off their online relationship and blocked him on social media.

The 23-year-old reacted horrendously to the rejection and send the girl's mother a series of highly disturbing voice messages threatening to rape and murder her daughter.

Teesside Crown Court watched terrifying CCTV footage of Dismore chasing the girl through the streets while she could be heard screaming for her life as he 'closed in for the kill'.

Jurors heard how the defendant had been in a relationship with the schoolgirl but maintained that he believed she was 19 and only discovered her true age when her mother contacted him.

He told the jury that he bought the knife used to stab her to scare her into unblocking him on social media and never intended to kill her.

The knife attack happened at around 3pm on Thursday, June 22, on Premier Road, Middlesbrough, and she was taken to James Cook University Hospital for treatment after she suffered a punctured lung.

However, a jury took under three hours to convict the IT graduate of attempted murder following the brutal stabbing in broad daylight earlier this year.

He was also found guilty of three counts of making indecent images of children and a further six charges of distributing indecent images of children after he posted intimate images of the teenager on social media.

During the trial, Nick Dry, prosecuting, described Dismore as a 'sexual predator' after targeting the teenager despite knowing her true age.

Detailing the attack, he said: “CCTV and dashcam footage showed the defendant in hot pursuit as she fled, screaming, and shouting for help.

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“She fell to the ground as the defendant closed in for the kill - all of this happened in broad daylight.

“She managed to get to her feet when a passing motorist, alerted by her screaming, stopped to intervene.

“She got into the car just as the defendant stabbed her in the back and chest.”

Dismore, of Stoneyhurst Avenue, Middlesbrough, was remanded in custody and will be sentenced in February next year.