Jail for man who stabbed housemate in ‘horrific’ attack

A man who stabbed his housemate in a drunken attack has been jailed.

Yehya Mahdi, aged 35, armed himself with a bread knife before attacking his 28-year-old victim at a mid-terrace house in Sneinton Boulevard, Sneinton.

Mahdi told police he drank 12 cans of beer before launching the attack in the early hours of 14 January.

Nottingham Crown Court heard both men were asylum seekers and that the attack happened at Home Office-approved accommodation.

However, they didn’t get on with Mahdi, from Sudan, telling the housemate he did not like him as he was from Libya – a country he blamed for his brother’s death.

Shortly before the attack, the victim could hear Mahdi breaking things in the house and swearing. He stayed in his room until Mahdi banged on his door pretending to be the police.

He opened the door and Mahdi stabbed him in the side of the forehead and neck while shouting, “I will kill you”.

The court heard Mahdi attempted further blows but that the housemate managed to push him away and flee the house.

Police were called and found the victim covered in blood outside the property.

Officers treated him at the scene before paramedics arrived and took him to Queen’s Medical Centre, where he was placed in intensive care. Thankfully, he made a good recovery and was discharged after spending five days in the hospital.

Mahdi was arrested at the property minutes after the attack.

He went on to plead guilty to committing a section 20 GBH offence and was jailed for two years and eight months at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday (21 August).

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Rory Greer said: “This was a horrific attack and it was only by pure luck that the victim was not more seriously hurt.

“Having escaped a war in Libya, the victim had come to the UK as an Asylum seeker in order to try and create a better life for himself.

“By coming here, he believed he would be much safer – but this proved not to be the case because of the actions of one violent man.

“Yehya Mahdi is a dangerous individual and I am pleased he has been taken off the streets of Nottingham.

“I welcome this sentence and hope it provides the victim with some comfort in knowing his attacker is now behind bars.”