An illegal migrant from Sudan lay in wait for a lone woman before attacking her 30 times with a broken bottle in Leeds.
Ibrahim Albashir, 34, embarked on the violent rampage in April 2024, targeting his 32-year-old victim as she walked home from a dinner out with friends.
Read Also: Onlookers left screaming as airport worker killed on tarmac by reversing passenger jet
On Tuesday, Leeds Crown Court heard how the asylum seeker left Sudan at the age of 25, first breaking into Libya before illegally crossing to Italy.
Albashir then headed to France, where he began smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol.
Read Also: Birmingham plots 'anti-motorist' push to become England’s first 20mph city
The 34-year-old stayed in peaceful France for one year – six months of which was spent inside a mental health unit, where he was diagnosed with catatonic schizophrenia.
Following his release, he was proscribed with anti-psychotic medication and he made his way to Paris.
Albashir subsequently stopped taking his medication and his asylum claim in France was denied.
The 34-year-old then travelled up north to Calais, where he broke into Britain with the help of people-smugglers.
After being put up in a hostel in Birmingham, he sexually assaulted a female member of staff after she refused to have sex with him in his room, jurors heard.
When he arrived in Leeds after being kicked off a train due to having no ticket, he was stopped by police in the Woodhouse area after being spotted with his trousers down to his ankles and searched for drugs – but no further action was taken.
On the evening of March 17, 2024, Albashir launched his violent attack on the lone woman outside the Original Oak pub.
The court was told that the rampage was only brought to a halt after members of the public heard the victim’s “blood-curdling screams”.
The illegal migrant was then knocked out by a member of the public.
CRIME – READ THE LATEST:
- Raheem Sterling charged with dangerous driving and drug offences following motorway crash
- Migrant crime victims urge Labour to publish data on foreign offences
- ‘Gang rivalry’ led to A66 crash that left two police officers dead, terrified locals say
Following the attack, police officers described him as appearing “out of it” and said he appeared to be under the influence of either alcohol or drugs, or both, the court was told.
After pleading guilty to attempted murder in March, the 34-year-old was sentenced to 25 years in prison alongside an indefinite hospital order.
Albashir appeared from a secure mental health unit via video link with the help of an Arabic interpreter, with Judge Robin Mairs telling him: “I do not accept your self-reporting of amnesia at the time of the offence.
“You chose a lone female to attack. It would appear from CCTV footage that you laid in wait.
“I feel the common sense conclusion is that there was a sexual element to the attack. This was not, in my view, random.”
The victim – who sustained injuries to her chest and neck in the attack – told the court via a personal statement: “Every time someone asks about the scar I have to relive the worst day of my life.
“I live my life feeling anxious, worried and scared about something like this happening again.
“The physical injuries may be minor, my mental injuries are scars that will stay with me forever.”
Albashir will be detained indefinitely in a secure mental hospital and would be transferred to prison to serve out his sentence should he ever make a recovery, the judge said.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
