Victims speak of ferocious attack after Roker Avenue knifeman sentenced to 27 years

Leon Askew had been speaking on the phone to his mum when murderous Adam Ahmed stabbed him in the neck without warning then inflicted further knife wounds.

When Mr Askew managed to get away Ahmed then turned the weapon on Robert Graham, who was stabbed in the stomach as he left his room at the shared house in Roker, Sunderland.

At Newcastle Crown Court today Ahmed, 30, of Roker Avenue, Sunderland, has now been been branded a public danger and jailed for 27 years, with a five year extended licence, over the terrifying attacks.

Shocking video footage from inside the house after the attacks show Ahmed calmly walk down a set of stairs while police wait for him at the bottom.

Ahmed, who was later convicted of attempted murder of Mr Askew and wounding Mr Graham with intent, is ordered to get onto his knees, which he does before he is handcuffed and arrested.

The court heard Ahmed, who came to the UK from war-torn Sudan, was suffering "psychotic depression" when the attacked the victims last June and had become paranoid that others at the multi-occupancy house were talking about him.

Judge Tim Gittins said that since settling in the UK around 12 years ago, Ahmed had become increasingly socially isolated and “developed distrust and a degree of paranoia about his neighbours that was completely unwarranted” and said he believed them to be talking about him and making too much noise.

The judge said: “In any event what you did was wholly out of order with any such concerns.”

Judge Gittins added: “The doctors are clear in their opinion that at the time, in the summer of last year, your mental state had reached a level of psychotic depression.

"It was untreated and unrecognised by you and there was therefore no prior warning of how serious your condition was or of the attack that you formulated.“

On June 21 last year, you armed yourself with a large kitchen knife, intent, as the jury found, on killing Mr Askew.

“As he sat in the shared courtyard, on the phone to his mother, who had to endure hearing your attack on her son, you launched yourself upon him.

"You later accepted you had pulled his head back to expose his neck. You plunged your knife into his neck with such force that it penetrated down into his lung.

“It was very close to the carotid artery and jugular vein in his neck. As it was, there was substantial blood loss.”

The judge said the attack was “ferocious” and that Mr Askew’s life was only saved by the quick-thinking of others who lived there who let him out of the courtyard and gave him first aid.

Frustrated at not being able to attack Mr Askew further, Ahmed then went upstairs and as Mr Graham came out of his room, Ahmed lunged at him without warning and plunged his knife deep into his stomach.

Judge Gittins said: “The damage you did, physically and mentally, to both victims, cannot be underestimated.”

Ahmed was told he may be subject to deportation, which is at the discretion of the secretary of state.

The court heard Mr Askew has said the attack has made him shelve plans to become a football coach but he he now intends to joined the armed forces.

Impact of the terrifying attacks

The court heard Mr Askew has said the attack has made him shelve plans to become a football coach but he he now intends to joined the armed forces.

Summarising his victim impact statement, prosecutor Vince Ward said: ""He describes having flashbacks and dreams about the incident, waking up in a panic about it and his dreams often replay the entire incident, making him feel like he was reliving the horror all over.

“He describes the impact on his family, particularly his mother, because she was on the phone to him when the attack took place.

"She would worry and panic if she couldn’t get hold of him and he describes his family having to come and see him in hospital while recovering from the impact of the attack.

“He describes the impact psychologically of the scarring he sustained. The scar on his neck seems to have resolved somewhat. One of the scars on his left arm is still looking very unpleasant. He hides them when he is with people because he doesn’t want those people to think badly of him because of the scarring.

“He mentions the impact on his aspirations to pursue a career in football coaching but as of today he has aspirations in a different direction, as mentioned, which he intends to pursue.”

The court heard the second victim, Mr Graham, had to have part of his bowel removed and he spoke of having recurrent dreams about the attack and the impact on his family visiting him in hospital.

Robin Turton, defending, said doctors found Ahmed was likely to have been suffering from a “depressive episode with psychotic features which had a major impact on his judgement, without which he would not have committed the offences”.