“I was crippled by a stabbing 15 to one and my attackers never saw prison”

Punched, kicked and stabbed in a brutal 15 to one ambush in the heart of Birmingham, a teenager was feared dead. Located near the city’s landmark Bull, he ran into the Bullring shopping center for help.

With the knife narrowly missing his spine, doctors told him he was “lucky to survive” the vicious attack, which saw him surrounded and beaten in front of horrified onlookers. Now 21, his dreams of becoming a boxer dashed by his injuries, he says: “After I was stabbed, I just gave up on life.”

Meanwhile, three of those involved in the knife attack all avoided jail in a “joke” sentence last month. Awais Ali Wastti Khan confessed to a series of murders; causing GBH without intent, having an article with a blade or point, possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing a disguised firearm. The 22-year-old, from Kingstanding, received a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years.

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Two youths, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were given a 12-month community order and 100 hours’ unpaid work respectively for the affray, as well as a conditional discharge for using threatening words/behaviour. Despite having flashbacks and struggling to sleep, work, walk and even sit, the victim was awarded £500 compensation for his ordeal.

“My head was cracked, my back was bleeding, I had baseball bats hit me in the face, my fingers were crushed, my face, legs and arms were hit so much that 500 pounds. It is nothing,” he told BirminghamLive in an exclusive interview, reflecting on the attack when he was 17.

“I thought to myself, have I waited three years for this? If I had known this from the beginning, I would have dropped the case. What’s the point of giving them a suspended sentence or community service? It sends the message to young people that anyone can do it and they get away with it.

“They say they get up with guns and knives, but when it comes to sentencing, do I give them that? Those guys had machetes, baseball bats, dusters – and I was alone. To me, it looks like they’re taking my mic off.

“He should have been in for at least three, four years because of the pain they put me through. Remember that those many can still go to look for a job, they can still go for a walk, they can still go to sit down, they can still have fun. “

After the horror attack outside the Arena de Cori on March 9, 2020, the victim spent a week and a half in hospital for his injuries. He believes the attackers targeted him for the bag and designer clothes he was wearing that day, but as he fled after the stabbing, they were unable to steal anything.

Now, he has a metal plate in his arm and suffers from daily back pain, leaving him struggling to find suitable work. “I was a good boy, going to college and trying to become something of myself. Now it’s all gone,” he explained.

“I can’t sleep because of my flashbacks and I’m stressed out. I’m going through hell right now because I can’t even get a job or anything. I’m in so much pain, I’ve been trying to work and everything get kicked out because they say “you move too slow”.

“I tell them, ‘Look, I can’t work fast, I have really bad back pain.’ At night I get really bad flashbacks. The victim, who now lives in supported accommodation, is applying for PIP amid her financial struggles.

“I can’t even walk, I walk for five minutes and my back hurts, I can’t sit, I can’t stand, I can’t do anything,” he added. “I wanted to be a boxer, it ruined my whole career. It was my dream and it changed me where I was so good, I never got angry, I was going to college and minding my own business.

“I tried to go back to boxing and the trainer hit me on the back once like a press, and I fell to the floor and he said, ‘I’m sorry son, you can’t do it anymore, your body can do it. don’t take it

“As soon as I’m touched, touched anywhere near my stab wound, I just go crazy because it hurts so much. Every time someone touches it, it’s like someone stabs me again.”

He says he has dealt with the trauma himself, claiming there was no offer of counseling for his panic attacks or medication for his pain. He added: “Now I’m just stressed, I’m out of my mind. My sanity is gone. It’s like I don’t even care about life anymore. I’ve given up.

“Now everyone’s looking at me, I get mad because I think they’re going to hurt me. I can’t even walk down the streets safely without thinking that someone is going to come stab me or do something.”

With those involved in his attack free to walk the streets, he admits he is scared he could strike again. “Now they only have a community sentence, they can come and do it to me again,” he said. “If they were closed, I’d know they were safe for a few years. Now, I know I’m not safe.

“Imagine being stabbed again – I don’t think I’d survive this time, my body is weak.” He believes a restraining order should have been imposed at sentencing for his protection.

Have you been affected by knife crime in Birmingham? We would love to hear from you. You can contact us via email [email protected]