Man jailed over stabbing that left victim fighting for his life

A man responsible for a stabbing attack that left a student fighting for his life in hospital has been jailed.

William Osaseri chased after and stabbed the 20-year-old victim during an incident in Radford shortly before 6pm on 27 June 2024.

The victim received a single stab wound to his upper arm. He underwent emergency surgery and was in a coma for six weeks.

Doctors told officers he was lucky to survive after his brachial artery was severed during the incident, which happened along a footpath off Midland Way.

Detectives trawled through CCTV and quickly identified Osaseri as responsible for stabbing the student, who had been studying in Sheffield but is from Nottingham.

Extensive enquiries were carried out to locate Osaseri and he was arrested on 7 July after officers found him at his home address in Grove Park, London. The court heard officers searched the address and found deal bags of cannabis, scales and the blue-handled knife used to stab the victim.  

Nottingham Crown Court heard the motivation for the attack is unclear, but that Osaseri had links to street gangs in London and was involved in drug dealing around university campuses.

After the stabbing, Osaseri picked up a rucksack that had been dropped by the victim and fled the scene.

Osaseri, aged 19, was sentenced on Thursday (21 November) having pleaded guilty to wounding with intent, theft from a person, possession of a knife in a public place and possession of a Class B drug.

Sending him to a young offender’s institution for eight years, Recorder Simon King said it was “pure luck” that he was not being sentenced for murder.

Detective Sergeant Nigel Malik, who oversaw the CID investigation, said:

“This was a brutal attack with several attempts made to strike the victim with a lethal weapon.

“One of these attempts succeeded and the victim was incredibly lucky to survive. Had it not been for the officers who were on scene within minutes and provided critical first aid, the outcome would have been very different.

“Due to a lack of oxygen caused by the stab wound, the victim now has a life-changing brain injury that continues to hold significant implications for both himself and his family – and it’s unlikely he’ll be able to return to university to resume his studies.

“The seriousness of the victim’s condition saw the incident treated as attempted murder from the outset, and a comprehensive investigation by detectives built up a clear evidential picture that identified Osaseri as the suspect and resulted in his arrest and charge.

“He has shown no remorse or concern for the victim. Indeed, he went on to write his own rap verse about the incident and bragged about it to associates.

“There is understandable public concern around violence involving knives and we want to reassure people that we will always treat these incidents very seriously and do everything we can to make sure that dangerous offenders like Osaseri are brought to justice and taken off our streets.

“We hope the significant custodial term that he has received will send a very clear message to those who think they can carry and use knives without having to face the consequences, and also provide some reassurance to the community.”