Knife youth loses sentence appeal

A former Oldham schoolboy who crippled a promising young student in an unprovoked knife attack while showing off to friends has failed to win a cut in his 10-year sentence on appeal.

Nazrul Islam (15), who relished the “Mad Naz” nickname given to him by his peers, was living a feral existence on the streets of London when he singled out 21-year-old Oliver Hemsley in Boundary Lane, London, in August last year.

Lord Justice Moses told London’s Appeal Court that the teenager, originally from Oldham, and other gang members stormed towards Mr Hemsley, who was out at night with a friend.

In a senseless and motiveless attack, Mr Hemsley, from Ely, Cambridgeshire, was stabbed in the leg, neck and upper back.

The judge said it was unclear exactly who administered the latter blows, but added: “It looks as though Islam stabbed Oliver Hemsley at least twice in the neck, and probably in the upper back”.

The gang continued to beat their victim as he lay helpless on the ground before running off, the court heard. Mr Hemsley is currently on a ventilator, has negligible movement from the neck down, cannot sit up or walk and is barely able to feed himself.

Mr Hemsley’s sister said in a statement: “Perhaps if his attacker had killed my brother he would be better off than with the miserable existence he is supposed to make the most of now.”

Islam, now 16, from Upton Park, Newham, was detained for 10 years at the Old Bailey after admitting wounding with intent and a separate offence of robbery.

Islam had proved too wild for his family to handle, and was living on the streets when Mr Hemsley had the misfortune to encounter him and his gang. He had previously lived in Oldham, but moved to London after he was excluded from schools in the town, regularly playing truant.

Lord Justice Moses said the crime was so grave that any lesser sentence would fail to reflect what Islam had done to his victim.