Former Premier League hopeful Causso Darame has been sentenced to jail for stabbing a teenager with a Rambo knife. The 25 year old, who was once signed to Swansea during their Premier League days, has since spiralled into criminality after his contract was terminated.
Darame left 19 year old Ronnie Evans with "life-changing injuries" following a brutal robbery in which he stole the teen's neck chain and bracelet. He will serve four years and four months behind bars after pleading guilty to robbery and possession of a knife.
The attack took place in the early hours of May 12 last year near Ken's Fried Chicken restaurant. Evans and a friend spotted Darame, who was wielding a large Rambo-style hunting knife, Portsmouth Crown Court heard.
The court was informed that the pair began to flee when they realised the former footballer was pursuing them. Darame shouted after them: "I'm going to catch you, and when I catch you, I'm going to kill you."
Ronnie suffered significant blood loss after two of his major nerves were severed, reports the Mirror.
In a victim statement, Ronnie revealed that he now suffers from paralysis from the knee down, meaning he can't walk without a splint on his foot. This has ended his career as an apprentice electrician and halted his ability to play tennis at a high level.
Prosecutor Paul Fairley stated: "Luckily as far as everyone in the case was concerned, the knife missed by a few millimetres the major blood vessels in his leg."
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The court heard the tale of Darame, who at 15 was a promising youth player for Swansea, likening himself to football greats Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo. After being offered a two-year pro contract at 18, his dreams crumbled when he was let go by the Swans in 2018.
His solicitor Daniel Reilly revealed that Darame saw himself as a failure post-termination, falling into bad company with drug dealers as he "struggled to cope".
Judge Daniel Neill remarked on the profound impact Darame's choices had on a young man's life, stating: "You had hoped to become a professional footballer, it didn't work out. Many dreams don't work out, many ambitions. By the time that your professional football contract sponsorship came to an end, you had a partner and a newborn child you felt you were failing."
Darame received a 28-month prison sentence after being caught with heroin and cocaine worth £1,000 in August last year.
The court was informed that he had turned to dealing drugs as a means of income, shunning unemployment benefits.
