A thug may have slashed another man across the face with a knife in revenge for an attack on his own cousin.
Martin Grant crept up on his victim and slashed him leaving the man with 30 stitches to his face and 60 stitches to his hand. Grant, from Old Swan, later pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of an offensive weapon and was jailed for 10 years in 2015.
Grant was released from prison on licence in 2019 and was appointed managing director of Liverpool health and safety company Safety Support Consultants (SSC) in September of that year. He resigned from the company in January 2020.
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In 2015 Liverpool Crown Court heard the attack on August 8, 2014 may have been linked to an incident in a pub when Grant's cousin was assaulted. The victim told the court the background to the attack was a fight in a pub a few years before, which had involved Grant’s cousin and a friend.
Speaking after Grant was jailed in 2015 Detective Inspector Steve Reardon said: “Martin Grant has never offered any reason as to why he committed such a vicious attack.
“It is possible it was due to the victim coincidentally being in a public house when Martin Grant’s cousin was attacked in 2012. The injuries suffered by the victim are similar to those suffered by Martin Grant’s cousin."
Geoffrey Lowe, prosecuting, said Grant ran off after the attack in the direction of Thomas Drive, where he was picked up in a car and driven to Manchester. Mr Lowe said: “The injuries suffered by the victim were quite significant.
“The right cheek wound was cut very deep. There was a division in some of the nerves and potentially to an artery.” The court heard Grant said to the victim 'That's what you get' after he slashed him across the face on Thomas Lane in Broadgreen.
The victim and his partner, who helped identify Grant, later left Liverpool. Grant had previous convictions for offences including blackmail in September 2008, for which he received an 18-month prison sentence.
Last year police said Martin Grant and a second man called Liam Grant has been charged with drug offences in relation to the penetration of the EncroChat phone network.
Grant, now 33, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to supply heroin, conspiracy to supply amphetamine and conspiracy to supply cannabis. Grant had admitted being involved in drug conspiracies between September 6 2019 and April 27 2021.
There is no suggestion his crimes were in any way linked to his role at SSC. Grant's co-defendant Liam Grant, of Holland Street in Fairfield, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to supply amphetamine, and conspiracy to supply cannabis.
Martin and Liam Grant will be sentenced next month at Liverpool Crown Court.
