Refugee attacked with machete in Gloucester park

A refugee has been suffering from 'flashbacks' and now fears for his own safety after being stabbed in Gloucester park, a court has heard.

Hashim Abdelrahim, 20, was with friends in the city centre park when teenager Jahmal Barnett approached and stabbed him with a machete.

Barnett, 18, was sentenced to four years in jail at Gloucester Crown Court on Tuesday 5 October.

The incident, which took place at about 7.45pm on Friday 2 July, saw Barnett slash at Mr Abdelrahim’s legs.

In a victim statement Mr Abdelrahim said: “Since the incident, I have been struggling with its impact on me.

"I have flashbacks as I didn’t see this coming. I also wake up suddenly in a panic.

“The internal injuries are so severe that I am no longer able to walk properly or play football as my muscles in my leg are so weak.

“The incident has left me feeling nervous all the time as I am constantly looking around to see who is close by.”

The 20-year-old was left with “serious but fortunately not life-threatening” injuries to his leg which required surgery.Following a public appeal for information about the attack Jahmal Barnett handed himself in to the police four days later.

Charlotte Surley, defending, said: “Barnett has had a difficult upbringing. His father was murdered when he was aged nine and he turned to crime by the age of 11.

“As a slightly older teenager he felt he had to step up to be the man of the house to financially help his family out. He became involved in drug dealing for one day, when he got caught."

Barnett said that he did not carry the weapon into the park.

Instead he claims he asked one of his group to give him something he could use.“Barnett has recently been diagnosed with having ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and is now receiving medication for this which had enabled him to begin to turn his life around as he’d gained employment in a warehouse", Ms Surley added.

Barnett of Mount Pleasant, Gloucester, pleaded guilty to wounding Mr Abdelrahim with intent to cause grievous bodily harm on February 1, 2021 and possessing a machete, a bladed weapon, in a public place on the same day.

Judge Cullum described Barnett as a "dangerous young man" who presents a "very real risk."

He said: “You slashed your victim across the leg causing a deep muscular wound.

"It is quite clear your actions could have caused real serious injury, but it’s more by luck than judgement that this didn’t end with a fatality."