An asylum seeker who stabbed a man seven times in the head and body in Birmingham has been jailed for four years and 11 months. Brear Hassan, 32, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and carrying a knife in public at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, October 1.
Attack caught on CCTV
CCTV footage showed Hassan walking with Erdalan Ali and another male along Babington Road in Birmingham's Soho district before a dispute erupted. Hassan then brandished a knife and began to stab Mr Ali on one side of the street, before chasing him across the road and continuing his assault there.
He was also overheard saying 'I should kill you'. The victim sustained injuries to his shoulder and back, and now bears a permanent scar on his face.
Judge's remarks
"Every time he looks in the mirror in the morning he will be reminded of you," Judge Richard Bond remarked as he delivered the sentence. Judge Bond requested that his sentencing remarks be forwarded to the tribunal overseeing Hassan's asylum application so that 'they understand precisely what you have done'.
Hassan, from Hellier Street, Dudley, arrived in the UK and sought asylum in 2023, but his application is still under consideration. The three men had been strolling together on Babington Road in the early afternoon of March 17 last year.
No opportunity to defend himself
Hassan and Mr Ali, who had met previously, hailed from the same country and were in similar circumstances regarding their asylum status. Judge Bond stated: "I don't know why the two of you started to argue in public. Perhaps it actually doesn't matter because whatever you were arguing about, even if he started the argument, it's not an excuse for the fact you decided to produce a knife and stab him."
He added: "Within a matter of seconds you repeatedly stabbed him to the head and body. I have watched CCTV of what you did. I'm satisfied your victim simply had no opportunity to defend himself. You kept saying to him 'I should kill you'. I can tell you if you had stabbed Mr Ali in a vital part of his body, his heart area or where a vital blood vessel could be found, you would be facing an offence of murder. Fortunately that situation didn't arise."
Judge Bond concluded: "This offence was persistent demonstrated not just by you stabbing him at least seven times, I note you started stabbing him on one side of the street, followed him across the road and stabbed him again on the other side of the road."
Simon Williams, defending, said Hassan had accepted responsibility for the attack and was remorseful. He also confirmed he had no previous convictions. The barrister said Hassan had a psychotic disorder, but acknowledged it did not contribute to the attack.
