Knife-wielding drunk man vowed to ‘kill English people’ at random

BY TOBY PORTER
toby@slpmedia.co.uk

A drunken man who brandished a knife at customers in a pub, a kebab shop and a supermarket after threatening to “kill English people” has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for attempted murder.

Samiualahq Akbari, 32, of Brigstock Road, Thornton Heath, was jailed at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, 14 August, after being found guilty on Friday, July 5, following a one-week trial.

The court heard how on the night of Tuesday, January 8, Akbari called his cousin while heavily drunk and said he wanted to “kill English people”.

His concerned cousin travelled to Thornton Heath to check on him. They both went to a fast food shop and while Akbari was inside his cousin contacted police.

When his cousin tried to persuade him to go home, Akbari ran off. Officers met the cousin nearby and a search began to trace Akbari.

By then he entered a kebab shop in London Road and approached two customers asking them were they were from.

When they didn’t answer, Akbari walked behind the counter and took a large kitchen knife which he waved in a customer’s face.

Akbari then left the kebab shop with the knife and entered Plough-On-The-Pond Public House in search of further victims.

After asking customers in the pub where they were from he again lunged towards a group with the knife.

The group were able to defend themselves so Akbari backed off and left the pub.

Then Akbari went into Tesco and approached a customer.

He asked the victim where he was from and when he ascertained he was from the UK he charged at the victim with the knife.

The victim managed to jump backwards and the knife missed him, after a brief struggle, Akbari calmly walked out of the shop still carrying the knife.

Officers arrived at Tesco shortly after and spotted Akbari nearby – he ran off and was caught and handcuffed in someone’s garden.

Akbari was charged on Thursday, January 10 with two counts of affray, possession of an offensive weapon, two counts of threatening another with an offensive weapon and attempted murder and attempted wounding with intent.

He pleaded guilty to the affray charges and one count of threatening another with an offensive weapon.

At the Old Bailey on Wednesday, August 14, Akbari was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for committing affray in the kebab shop, 12 months for the affray in the pub and a 20 months and 30 months for the two charges of threatening another with an offensive weapon.

He was also sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for four counts of
criminal damage with intent to endanger life after throwing rocks from a footbridge overlooking a dual carriageway in Basildon, Essex on May 10, 2018.

All the sentences will run concurrently to the 21 years’ imprisonment for attempted murder.

Detective Constable Chris Dimmer, of South Area CID, said: “It’s clear that Akbari was malicious in his intention to injure as many people as possible”.

“He specifically sought to identify and target people from a certain
nationality and to cause them as much harm as possible.

I’m pleased to see that this dangerous man’s actions have been met with this lengthy sentence and I hope it gives those targeted in the attack some form of closure.”