A man who stabbed a former work friend more than 20 times as he slept has been jailed for life. Lewis Robinson, 30, launched a horrifying knife attack on Saiyed Mashhadi in at his home on July 27 2022, LancsLive report.
Despite suffering severe injuries, Mr Mashhadi survived the attack. But he said his life has been changed forever as a result of Robinson's actions.
Handing down a life sentence, with a minimum term of 18 years, The Honorary Recorder of Preston, Judge Robert Altham, said Robinson and his victim had worked together at a courier firm before the attack. The pair were good friends and regularly socialised outside of work.
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However in the spring of 2022, Mr Mashhadi began to distance himself from his colleague. On May 21 he returned home to find Robinson outside his house.
Robinson launched an attack, punching Mr Mashhadi repeatedly, the court heard. When Robinson realised a neighbour was watching the attack he ran away, picking up a set of keys which had fallen from Mr Mashhadi's pocket.
However at 3:30am on July 27, as Mr Mashhadi slept in bed, Robinson returned to the house and let himself in. He took a knife from the kitchen drawer and launched a vicious attack on his former colleague.
Mr Mashhadi woke, feeling 'soaking wet' and realised he had been stabbed. He had suffered 24 separate injuries to his head, eyelids, chest, neck, back and arm.
"His injuries were horrific", Judge Altham said.
Mr Mashhadi thought he was going to die in the attack and tried to scratch Robinson, in the hope he would be able to get DNA evidence under his nails which would help to catch his killer. However his arm was so badly injured he was unable to reach out to Robinson.
During the attack, a neighbour's security camera picked up the sounds of Mr Mashhadi's screams. "I suspect the jury or I will never forget that terrible sound", Judge Altham said.
As Robinson left the scene, Mr Mashhadi went downstairs, bleeding profusely, and staggered out of his front door, naked and covered in blood. The neighbour's CCTV camera captured him shouting for help before falling to the ground.
Neighbours rushed to his rescue and called emergency services, who took Mr Mashhadi to hospital. As he lay on the ground, emergency workers pleaded with his to remain conscious, in harrowing scenes captured on body worn camera.
"He was in a desperate state, telling officers blood was pouring out of his back", Judge Altham said.
Meanwhile, Robinson took a lengthy diversion away from the scene to avoid being seen on CCTV cameras, the court heard. He stopped at Costa for coffee before returning to the Premier Inn, where he had booked a room. There, he changed his clothing before he left. The clothes he was wearing have never been recovered.
Mr Mashhadi chose not to attend Preston Crown Court to see the man who tried to kill him brought to justice. However, members of his family watched from the public gallery as Emma Kehoe, prosecuting, read his victim impact statement.
In it, Mr Mashhadi said: "I have been completely changed as a person, physically and psychologically. I have been unable to go back to work because of what happened."
He said before the attack he enjoyed going to the gym and lifting heavy weights but he is unable to do that now due to the injuries he sustained. He enjoyed working as a courier but can no longer lift the weights required for the job and has isolated himself socially.
"I always think people must be judging me, assuming I am a violent person because of the scars I have", he said.
He said he has grown a beard to hide scars on his face and no longer feels able to go swimming. While at home he feels on high alert and can only sleep when he knows there are people outside.
"I feel weak and paranoid about every little thing", he added. "I relive the attack every day in my head. When I wake, I feel sick and vomit then I take medication for depression and anxiety. I sometimes feel I should move house to get away from the memories but then I think that is letting the attacker get the better of me."
Robinson refused to co-operate with consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Lucy Bacon, to prepare a psychiatric report. However Dr Bacon said there was evidence to suggest there were mental health concerns about Robinson in the weeks before the attack.
Judge Altham said: "The defendant has never said why he did this. He has demonstrated no insight. The risk of repetition is clearly very high and will last long into the future."
The judge added Robinson, of Walker Street, Preston, has four previous convictions for common assault, but has no previous convictions even approaching the seriousness of the attack on Mr Mashhadi in July 2022.
The judge said the offence was so serious it warranted a life sentence and set a minimum term of 18 years, less 230 days spent on remand for attempted murder. He added a month to run concurrently for the common assault in May and imposed no separate penalty for the theft of Mr Mashhadi's keys.
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