Jail after drunken Nottingham bread knife attack fuelled by hatred for victim's country

A man who stabbed his housemate in a drunken attack, armed with a bread knife, has been jailed.

Yehya Mahdi, 35, attacked his 28-year-old victim after drinking 12 cans of beer.

Nottingham Crown Court heard both men were asylum seekers and that the stabbing happened at Home Office approved accommodation in Sneinton Boulevard, Sneinton.

Yehya Mahdi, who was from Sudan, disliked his housemate as he was from Libya – a country he blamed for his brother’s death.

Shortly before the attack, the victim heard Mahdi breaking things in the house and swearing. He stayed in his room but 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 leave the house.

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

He was treated in intensive care and discharged after five days in the hospital.

Mahdi was arrested at the property minutes after the attack.

He pleaded 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.

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.”