A man who stabbed a female university student three times in the leg as she walked home after a night out will be imprisoned for longer following the intervention of the Solicitor General, Rt Hon Michael Ellis QC MP.
On 9 June 2019, the victim, in her 20s, left a nightclub in Loughborough around 2:30am to walk home. She had just finished her degree and gone on a night out with a friend to celebrate.
While walking home, the victim noticed that a man had started to follow her. The offender, Hani Habte, aged 18 at the time, then ran alongside the victim and tried to speak to her.
The victim tried to walk away from Habte but the offender grabbed her arm and pulled her to the ground. The victim tried to defend herself, hitting the offender with her bag, but Habte grabbed at the bag and proceeded to stab the victim three times in the leg. The offender then fled from the scene.
The victim was taken to hospital, having sustained three puncture wounds and bruising to her right thigh. She repeatedly passed out due to blood loss.
The offender was later linked to the attack through CCTV evidence and a trace of the victim's blood on his left trainer.
On 19 March, Habte was originally sentenced at Leicester Crown Court to 5 years' detention for wounding with intent.
Following the Solicitor General's intervention under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, the Court of Appeal today increased his sentence to 5 years' detention with 3 years extended licence.
Commenting on the increase, the Solicitor General said:
"Habte targeted a vulnerable victim, subjecting her to a callous attack and causing significant psychological harm. I am pleased the Court of Appeal agreed to increase the offender's sentence and hope this brings some comfort to the victim and her family."
