Knifeman jailed for killing Briton on way to church
A PALESTINIAN man who stabbed a British student to death in Jerusalem in a bid to have himself shot dead by police has been jailed for 18 years.
Jamil Tamimi, 59, killed 20-year-old Hannah Bladon on a tram as she was going to the church where she volunteered, an Israeli court heard.
Tamimi targeted the student at random when she got up to offer her seat to an older woman. Ms Bladon was stabbed at least seven times in the stomach and died in hospital.
Yesterday, a prosecutor told the court why he had not pushed for a life sentence for the killer.
He said: “This was not a terrorist incident. This was a terrible murder carried out by a mentally ill person.”
The killer’s lawyer said Tamimi attacked Ms Bladon in a rage after his sons refused to allow him to live with them and insisted he stayed in a mental institution.
“This drove him to stab a person to death so that he would be shot dead,” the lawyer said.
Tamimi, of east Jerusalem, was overpowered and arrested after the incident on Good Friday 2017.
Ms Bladon, a student at Birmingham
Stabbed to death... Hannah Bladon University, had been on an exchange programme with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The talented musician and “enthusiastic rugby player” from Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, had been working on an archaeological dig. The attack happened near Jerusalem’s walled Old City.
The attacker reportedly got on the tram and rode one stop before launching his knife attack. Dozens of Palestinians who carried out similar attacks, many of them as a political act against Israel, have been shot by security forces or civilians. Ms Bladon’s family’s representative, Maurice Hirsch, said: “For the family, it makes no difference whether this was a terror attack or just another crazed murderer. “They are outraged by the leniency of the sentence. “They expected that Hannah’s murderer would spend the rest of his life behind bars.”
After sentencing, Tamimi was quoted as saying: “I’m sorry. I wish I could take her place. “I did not mean to murder her. I don’t know how it happened.” A top quality selection of winter hardy shrubs that will provide year round interest and much needed winter food for wild birds while the shrubby structure provides protection. A quick, easy and low-cost way to add colour and shape to your garden, starting next spring and lasting for many years to come. Hardy to -20ºC, they'll thrive in all weathers and gardens throughout the UK. Supplied as 12 dormant bare-root shrubs, one of each variety shown. Eventual heights vary. Note, varieties may vary dependent on seasonal availability. Full product details at www.yougarden.com/RDX367.