Man who lunged at victim and slashed him with knife near "horrified" crowd pleads guilty at Portsmouth court

Jason McDonagh, 22, of no fixed address, appeared in court last Friday (January 2) after attacking a male near Bognor Regis railway station on November 25. During his appearance in court, McDonagh also pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a bladed article.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard the victim been at a friend's flat in the early hours of Tuesday 25 November 2025, when McDonagh showed up and acted aggressively to the pair before falling asleep. They left the flat to get some food and returned a short time later when McDonagh awoke and became threatening again.

At roughly 8.20am that morning, they left the flat, while the attacker remained despite being asked to leave. McDonagh then appeared from an alleyway before throwing a glass bottle and a kitchen knife at the victim. He then picked up the blade and chased the victim towards the station with knives in both hands.

He lunged at the victim in the station forecourt, slashing him on his right arm. He continued to attack the victim, knocking him to the floor before he was able to get up and run away. McDonagh was found and detained shortly after calls were made to the police. The victim was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery, after a deep wound was cut into his arm.

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BTP Detective Constable Christopher May said: "McDonagh has never explained his horrific actions on that day. He was only loosely known to the victim and by all accounts his actions were completely unprovoked. The attack took place at a busy station in front of horrified onlookers, and in fact just seconds before a group of young schoolchildren had been escorted into the station by their teachers. McDonagh showed absolutely no regard for these people, or indeed the terrified victim who continues to recover from the incident, both physically and psychologically.

"This shocking incident caused considerable shock and concern among the community, and I am glad to see that McDonagh has pleaded guilty to his actions. Our detectives and forensics officers worked tirelessly to gather vital evidence so that McDonagh could be charged and remanded within 24 hours of the incident, ensuring he was taken off the streets and justice achieved for the victim. I’d like to thank them, our partners at Sussex Police, the local authority and the Crown Prosecution Service for their incredible hard work and support during our investigation."

McDonagh has been remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court on February 27.