A court heard on Wednesday, July 15, how a man ran into a shop in London Road, Bedford armed with a knife and then attacked a man inside stabbing him repeatedly.
At one point 27-year-old Winston Osei sat straddling his victim, Robiul Islam down one of the aisles and inflicted one stab wound after another.
At Luton Crown Court, Osei appeared for sentence in custody with members of his family watching from the public gallery. He was jailed for a total of nine years and four months by Judge Mark Bishop after he had pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possessing an offensive weapon.
The judge told Osei that he had inflicted “horrifying violence” that day on Mr Islam who had gone into the Nisa store in London Road on the afternoon of November 6 last year.
The court heard Osei of Lymington Avenue, Wood Green, London had been driving in his car along London Road when he saw Mr Islam go in.
Judge Bishop was told there was already bad blood between the two and some days earlier the defendant had been attacked by Mr Islam and some friends.
He had burst into the shop that afternoon with his hoodie up and clutching a weapon referred to as a box cutter with an extendable blade to exact revenge Prosecutor Peter Shaw told the court Osei had been working in London earlier that day and had then had returned to Bedford where he was living at the time.
Other customers had been inside the store when violence suddenly erupted with Osei setting about his victim who ended up on the ground with his attacker on top of him. Mr Shaw said the accused repeatedly stabbed Islam about his body and once to the top of his scalp.
At one point the victim was able to get to his feet a grabbed a trolley which he used as a barrier between him and his assailant. Osei fled shop moments later and five days passed before he handed himself into the police.
At first he claimed to officers Mr Islam had attacked him. The court was told Mr Islam wouldn’t give an account to the police and was not willing to assist them.
Ben Rowe defending gold the court “He is a foolish young man who made the greatest mistake of his life. He offers no excuse and he is sorry. He should not have sought revenge.” He said his client had the knife on him from work earlier in London and it was only when he saw Mr Islam go in the store that he remembered it.”
Passing sentence the judge told Osei he had entered the store that day with his hoodie pulled up and the blade extended on the weapon. The judge said: “I am not sure I have been told the full background that lies behind this incident.”
But he said what took place in the shop that afternoon was a sustained attack on the victim in front of others who had been present. Osei was told he must serve two thirds of the sentence of nine years and four months before he can be released on licence.
