Pictured: Soldier stabbed outside army barracks is Lieutenant Colonel and father-of-two
25 July 2024, 11:14 | Updated: 25 July 2024, 11:51
A soldier who was repeatedly stabbed outside an army barracks in Kent has been pictured for the first time.
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Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton was airlifted to hospital after being stabbed around 12 times while in his uniform just before 6pm on Tuesday, by a man wearing a ski mask and allegedly armed with two 10-inch knives.
The attack took place just yards from Brompton Barracks, in Gillingham, home of the 1 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment.
His wife Eileen screamed at the attacker to leave her husband alone and tried to pull him away in an intervention that could have saved his life.
The father-of-two was airlifted to hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
Lt Col Teeton had been a course manager for almost six years after joining the army 23 years ago, the Telegraph have reported.
Anthony Esan, 24, has been charged with attempted murder over the stabbing on Tuesday.
The soldier, in his 40s, was found seriously injured just metres away from the barracks.
He remains in a serious but stable condition in hospital after the unprovoked attack.
Esan was arrested near his home in nearby Rochester about 35 minutes after the knife attack.
Police said they do not believe that it was an act of terrorism and there is no suggestion of a threat to anyone else.
They said the attack might have been related to mental health, as well as possible links to the barracks.
Esan has also been charged with possessing an offensive weapon in a public place
He will appear at Medway Magistrates' Court on July 25.
A statement from Kent Police said: "Detectives investigating the serious assault of a soldier in Gillingham have charged a man with attempted murder.
"Kent Police was called to Sally Port Gardens at around 5.55pm on Tuesday 23 July 2024 to a report that the victim, a man in his 40s, had suffered injuries consistent with stab wounds.
"He was taken to a hospital for treatment and his condition is currently described as serious but stable.
"Anthony Esan, 24, was arrested near his home address in Mooring Road, Rochester, at approximately 6.30pm the same day and has now been charged with attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
"He is due to appear at Medway Magistrates' Court on Thursday 25 July."
