‘Dangerous offender’ who attacked student has jail term extended
GUILTY OF CALLOUS ATTACK ON VULNERABLE VICTIM
A TEENAGE knifeman who stabbed a Loughborough University student three times in the leg as she walked home after a night out has had his sentence increased.
Hani Gebrehiwet Habte will serve longer behind bars after the Court of Appeal deemed him to be a “dangerous offender”.
The 19-year-old was given a fiveyear detention sentence in March for the attack on the female student.
But he will now serve a longer sentence following the intervention of the Solicitor General, the Rt Hon Michael Ellis QC.
Habte, who had enrolled at Loughborough College to study English, followed the lone woman along Loughborough streets for several minutes before attacking her on June 9 last year.
A trial at Leicester Crown Court heard that the victim had left a nightclub in Loughborough at about 2.30am to walk home.
The student, who was in her 20s, had just finished her degree and gone on a night out with a friend to celebrate.
While walking home, she noticed that a man had started to follow her.
Habte, then 18, of Royland Road, Loughborough, then ran alongside her and tried to speak to her.
The student tried to walk away from Habte, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her to the ground.
She tried to defend herself, hitting Habte with her bag, but he grabbed the bag and stabbed her three times in the leg.
The victim was taken to hospital with three puncture wounds and bruising to her right thigh. She repeatedly passed out due to blood loss.
Habte was later arrested by police after being linked to the attack through CCTV evidence and a trace of the victim’s blood on his left trainer.
A jury found him guilty of wounding with intent with a 10-2 majority verdict.
On March 19, Habte was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court to five years’ detention.
But the case was referred to the Solicitor General under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
The Court of Appeal has ruled that Habte is a “dangerous offender” and increased his sentence to five years’ detention with three years extended licence.
Instead of being eligible for parole release after half of his sentence this will now only happen after Habte has served twothirds of the detention – about three years and four months. This means he will serve another 10 months in jail. Once he has been released he will also have the extra three years licence attached to his sentence. 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.”
The student stabbed by Habte was left suffering sleepless nights as the three “deep wounds” in her leg left her in severe pain for weeks afterwards and ruined her end-ofuniversity celebrations.
She had to cancel a trip to New York and postpone plans to travel around Europe.
In a victim impact statement, read out at Leicester Crown Court, she described being constantly reminded of the unprovoked random attack by the visible scars on her leg.
The student said that after being stabbed she was in shock and felt “helpless.”
She said it was difficult seeing photos on social media of all her friends enjoying functions she was unable to attend.
I am pleased the court agreed to increase the sentence and hope this brings some comfort to the victim Michael Ellis