CCTV shows chilling moment knifeman randomly stabs a homeless man in the neck outside Liverpool Street station – as attempted murderer is jailed for life
- A man has been jailed for life for the attempted murder of a rough sleeper
- Egidijus Kotovas, 29, stabbed a homeless man in the neck in London
CCTV shows the chilling moment a knifeman randomly stabbed a homeless man in the neck outside Liverpool Street station.
Norwegian national Egidijus Kotovas, 29, has been jailed for life for the attempted murder of rough sleeper Izet Mehmed.
The attacker attacked Mr Mehmed, who was homeless at the time and sleeping in a doorway near the train station.
Kotovas had been in the UK for three years at the time of his violent assault on Mehmed.
A court sentenced the knifeman to life imprisonment with minimum term of 14 years and 242 days.
Egidijus Kotovas, 29, was caught on CCTV at the horrifying moment he approach a homeless man and stabbed him
The Norwegian national was sentenced to life imprisonment with minimum term of 14 years and 242 days
He will then be subject to licence conditions for the rest of his life. For the possession of two knives, Kotovas was given nine months for each offence, to be served concurrently. The life sentence also took into the account the vulnerability of the knifeman’s victim and his previous convictions in Lithuania.
Kotovas’s victim was sleeping on a piece of cardboard in the street when he was stabbed without warning in the neck. The injured man was able to stumble away and was found by two police officers lying outside a café with life-threatening stab wounds.
The officers gave him first aid before he was rushed to hospital in an air ambulance.
Kotovas was arrested within 24 hours of the attack after he returned to near the scene of the crime for a second time in the early hours of the morning. He was charged with attempted murder the following day.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Halkett, at the City of London Police, said: ‘This horrific incident kept me awake, as without doubt had he not been caught, Kotovas would have gone on to attack more vulnerable victims.
Kotovas was arrested close to the scene of the crime in the City of London within 24 hours of the attack
‘The quick apprehension of Kotovas within 24 hours was down to diligent and meticulous work by our officers.
Through DNA profiling and an overwhelming amount of evidence, we were able to secure this conviction and put this highly dangerous individual behind bars.
‘This was a savage and unprovoked attack on a vulnerable member of the public. I would also like to praise the quick response from our officers first at the scene, who administered immediate first aid, preventing this from being a murder investigation.’
Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Community and Children’s Services Committee, Ruby Syed, said: ‘This was a frightening attack on someone who was already vulnerable.
‘I am however pleased that the victim has made a full recovery and that the offender has been sentenced.
‘We are absolutely committed to addressing the root causes of homelessness and supporting rough sleepers into safe, long-term accommodation.
‘Our Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Sub Committee is driving this work, and we aim to ensure that people who arrive on City streets spend no more than one night out.’
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