Man jailed for life after stabbing strangers in Exeter

He boasted he had “livened up Exeter a bit”

A man who repeatedly stabbed a young couple in what police describe as a "frenzied, random and unprovoked" attack in Exeter has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years.

Leon Telemacque, 32, of St Clements Road, Birmingham, attacked the victims – who were complete strangers to him – with a large kitchen knife as they walked home after seeing off a friend from a bus stop in the city centre in May last year.

He stabbed the male victim multiple times in the neck and the woman in the chest.

The victims, both aged in their twenties, feared they were going to die and have been left fearful and suffering nightmares as a result of the attack.

Telemacque admitted two charges of attempted murder and was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Wednesday.

Before the judge passed sentence, one of the victims told the court: “I will be stuck with those scenes for the rest of my life.”

When being interviewed, Telemacque said he didn’t remember the incident, adding: “If I did something wrong, then I did something wrong”. 

The court was told how the 32-year-old of had travelled by coach from South Devon to Exeter on the afternoon of 17 May 2024.

He was seen alone on CCTV later that evening, hanging around a bus stop on Bampfylde Street, near Exeter's bus station, where the attack happened.

The victims had said goodbye to a friend at around 2am on 18 May and were walking away when Telemacque followed and attacked them.

CCTV shows him grabbing the male victim by the arm and attempting to stab him multiple times in the neck. The victim also suffered knife wounds to his hand as he tried to protect himself.

Telemacque then stabbed the 23-year-old woman in the chest as she fell to the floor.

He then chased the young man, brandishing the knife after they managed to fight him off. Telemacque only stopped pursuing the victim when they reached a busy Sidwell Street.

The attacker then walked away, unaware that three or four students were guiding police officers to his location.

He tried to flee and threw the knife to the ground as he was arrested.

Following the incident, Telemacque said he thought his actions had “livened up Exeter a bit."

The court was told a psychiatric report suggested Telemacque suffered from delusion caused by a mental disorder. Judge James Atkins said it could provide some explanation for what he did, but the comment combined with the fact that he tried to hide his weapon suggested he knew the attack couldn’t “have any lawful basis” and amounted to bragging about he had done.

The young victims read impact statements to the court.

The man said: “I was terrified and thought we were both going to die when I saw that knife in his hand…I will be stuck with those scenes for the rest of my life.”

He has since resigned from his job in sales and told the court that injuries to his hand would never heal. He tries to cover them up so people don't ask about them.

At one point during her statement, the female victim looked to the dock to make eye contact with Telemacque. She said: “At night, when I’m walking, I will keep looking back over my shoulder; I feel like I need to get out of wherever I am. I can’t get the fear out of my head. 

“I won’t forget the feeling of having someone trying to kill me and having to defend myself and to protect someone else.”

Telemacque was sentenced for two counts of murder and one count of possessing a knife in a public place.

On sentencing, Judge Atkins told Telemacque: "What you did defies rational explanation." He also explained that he posed an imminent risk and that he may remain in custody for the rest of his life.

But a parole board must be persuaded that Telemacque poses no risk to the public if he is ever to be released.

Investigating officer detective donstable Sam Heys said later: “This was a frenzied, random and unprovoked attack by Telemacque on two completely innocent victims who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“We cannot underestimate the impact that such an event will have had on them and those who witnessed the incident. It also serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of carrying and using a knife.

“I welcome the sentence passed down by the judge today and hope that the victims can now begin to gain some closure and move forward with their lives. I’d also like to thank them for their bravery in supporting the police investigation through such an incredibly challenging time.”