Asylum seeker jailed for attempted murder after stabbing his own solicitor, 71, in the chest
20 August 2024, 16:19
Neguse office footage.mp4
An asylum seeker has been jailed for attempted murder after stabbing his own solicitor.
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Esayas Neguse, from Eritrea, stabbed his solicitor Muhammad Shoaib, 71, in the chest and in the hand, on September 21, 2022 in Glasgow.
Two of Mr Shoaib’s colleagues stepped in to tackle him, before passing police officers spotted the struggle and ran in.
Neguse was arrested and charged, then initially denied a charge of attempted murder as well as a number of other charges, including two of assault to injury.
But he changed his plea to guilty after Mr Shoaib testified in court. He was sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison on Tuesday.
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Neguse, who was already facing an assault charge, had arrived at Mr Shoaib's office without an appointment, but the solicitor agreed to see him.
The asylum seeker appeared uncomfortable and kept his hand in his pocket, before launching the savage attack once inside Mr Shoaib's office.
After Shoaib was saved by colleagues and police, he was taken to hospital where he spent the night.
Detective Inspector Phill Kennedy said: “This was a horrific attack which took place at the victim’s place of work.
“No one should be the subject of such violence at their workplace and I would commend the actions of other staff members prior to police arriving.
“They put their own safety at risk to intervene and prevent further injury to their colleague.
“Their bravery stands in stark contrast to the cowardly and violent actions of Esayas Neguse, who will rightly now face the consequences."
Mr Shoaib earlier said that he thought he was going to die after the attack. “The blood was coming out my chest," he told STV. "It was like a shower of blood.”
He also said felt sorry for Neguse "because he has completed five years of residency being an asylum seeker from Eritrea.
“He would have been granted permanent residence. This incident has done a lot of damage to him as well."
