A former nurse who stabbed a record shop owner with a needle containing a muscle-relaxing anaesthetic has been jailed for attempted murder.
Darren Harris, 58, a nurse of 24 years’ experience, has been sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 15 years and 84 days at Leeds Crown Court on 11 April 2025 after being found guilty of attempted murder and having earlier pleaded guilty to administering a noxious substance.
Harris stabbed Gary Lewis with a hypodermic needle, injecting him in the buttocks with a drug called Rocuronium at the Betterdaze record shop in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.
Mr Lewis was left in a state of paralysis and would have died from the attack without the intervention of a neighbouring shopkeeper and paramedics.
Edmund Hall of the Crown Prosecution Service said, “Harris attempted to murder Gary Lewis in an unexplained and unprovoked attack. We cannot imagine the terrifying impact of this attack. It left Gary paralysed at the time, but with the full knowledge of knowing what was happening to him, including the risk of death.
“Fortunately, he did not die because of the intervention of medical experts and support of local people and neighbour. Harris showed no remorse for his attack and constantly denied he attempted to murder the victim.
“We want to thank North Yorkshire police for their investigative work, which supported the CPS prosecution of the defendant and we hope the sentence offers the victim and his family a sense of justice for this shocking and life-threatening attack.”
