Romanian murderer stabbed woman in street weeks after arriving in UK

A ROMANIAN murderer tried to stab a woman to death in the middle of a busy street just weeks after being allowed into the UK following a seven-year prison sentence, a court heard.

Gheorghe Mihai, 38, told a friend he wanted to kill again moments before knifing his sister-in-law in the face as he turned into a “man possessed”, a court heard.

He repeatedly stabbed Roxana Mihai, 23, after she interrupted a conversation he was having with her husband Nicursor Gheorghe, his half-brother, on Aug 7 last year. Mihai chased the woman down a street in Wolverhampton, before catching up to her when she tripped over on the pavement. Mihai then repeatedly stabbed her five times in the face, back and arm.

She was only saved when her husband managed to wrestle Mihai off her and punch him in the face. Mihai, of Wolverhampton, then ran to a garage, where he was arrested by police. A jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court took two hours to find Mihai guilty of attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon. The court heard Mihai was jailed for seven years after murdering a man in his native Romania in 2006.

He moved to the UK early last year and, on the day he attacked Mrs Gheorghe, he had been drinking and boasting to friends about how he was going to kill again.

Gama Bobi, a friend, told the court: “He told me he was going to kill someone and go to jail. I thought he was joking because he had drunk too much.”

The court heard the defendant then staggered across the road to where his half-brother and Mrs Mihai were waiting. Describing how he managed to stop the defendant from killing the woman, Mr Gheorghe said: “I saw my wife on the floor covered in blood. I went after him and managed to punch him in the face.”

The case was adjourned and Mihai was remanded into custody until sentencing on March 12.