A Sudanese asylum seeker diagnosed with catatonic schizophrenia has been sentenced to 25 years in prison and a hospital order for a brutal attack on a woman in Leeds, England. Ibrahim Albashir, 34, lay in wait for his victim in March 2024 before slashing her approximately 30 times with a broken bottle.
The court heard details of failures on both sides of the English Channel that allowed Albashir to reach Britain. After leaving Sudan at age 25, he traveled through Libya to Italy and then France. During a year in France, he used cannabis and alcohol and was detained in a French mental health unit for six months, where he was diagnosed with catatonic schizophrenia. He was discharged with anti-psychotic medication but stopped taking it and had his asylum claim rejected in France.
Albashir then traveled to Calais and on to Britain with the help of people smugglers, initially settling in a hostel in Birmingham. While there, he sexually assaulted a staff member who refused his advances. He also lived in Luton, Coventry, Birmingham, and Barrow-in-Furness before ending up in Leeds in March 2024 after being removed from a train for not having a ticket.
On March 15, 2024, police stopped Albashir in Leeds after observing him with his trousers down, noting he appeared to be in a trance-like state and possibly under the influence of drugs. No further action was taken.
Two days later, on March 17, Albashir attacked his victim outside the Original Oak pub in Headingley, Leeds, as she walked home alone. The assault ended when members of the public heard her screams and intervened, punching Albashir unconscious.
Judge Robin Mairs, sentencing Albashir after he admitted attempted murder, stated there was a sexual element to the attack on the woman's chest and neck, concluding it was not random. While the victim's physical stab wounds were relatively minor, the judge noted her mental scars were serious and lasting. In a personal statement, the victim described feeling anxious and scared, and the visible scar on her chest forces her to relive the traumatic event.
Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Lucy Bacon testified that Albashir's mental condition can lead to sexual disinhibition and noted his inconsistent and evasive behavior when questioned about drug use or the attack. The judge rejected Albashir's claim of amnesia during the offense. The 25-year prison sentence is accompanied by an indefinite hospital order, meaning he will remain in a secure mental health facility and could be transferred to prison if he recovers.