Four Years for Daylight Knife Rampage at Bognor Regis Station

A 22-year-old man has been jailed after carrying out a violent knife attack in broad daylight outside Bognor Regis railway station, leaving his victim with a serious arm injury. The sentencing follows an investigation led by British Transport Police.

Jason McDonagh, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday 2 January to Grievous Bodily Harm and two counts of Possession of a Bladed Article. He returned to the same court on Friday 27 February, where he was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.

The court heard that events began in the early hours of Tuesday 25 November 2025 at a friend’s flat, where the victim had been staying. McDonagh arrived at the property and behaved aggressively towards both men before eventually falling asleep. After briefly leaving the flat to get food and returning, the aggression resumed when McDonagh woke up.

At around 8.20am, the victim and his friend left the flat again, while McDonagh remained behind despite being asked to leave. Moments later, he emerged from an alleyway and threw a glass bottle and a kitchen knife at the victim. He then retrieved the knife and pursued him towards Bognor Regis station, carrying knives in both hands.

CCTV footage played to the court captured the attack in the station forecourt. McDonagh was seen lunging at the victim, inflicting a significant slash wound to his right arm. He continued the assault, knocking the victim to the ground before the injured man managed to escape. The incident unfolded in front of commuters during the morning rush, only seconds after a group of schoolchildren had been escorted into the station.

Members of the public alerted police, and Sussex Police officers arrived swiftly at the scene. McDonagh was located and detained shortly afterwards. The victim was taken to hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for the deep wound to his arm.

BTP Detective Constable Christopher May said:

"I’m pleased to see McDonagh receive a significant custodial sentence that recognises both the physical and psychological harm he caused to the victim, and the shock and concern he caused to the community. McDonagh has never explained his 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 commuters who were going about their days, and in fact just seconds before a group of young schoolchildren had been escorted into the station by their teachers. McDonagh carried out his attack without a care at all for any of them. 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."

Image: British Transport Police