A brutal attacker paused four times to catch his breath during a 13-minute assault on an elderly man in a Birmingham street, only halting when his knife blade snapped.
The Vicious Assault
Razvan Mut, 35, stabbed, kicked, punched, and stamped on Stephen Watts, delivering more than 60 blows with a metal chair leg during the sustained attack on Whitehall Road in Handsworth. The victim, aged 65, suffered severe injuries and went into cardiac arrest at the scene. Paramedics revived him by massaging his heart back to life on the street.
Court Details
Birmingham Crown Court heard that Mut exhausted himself during the frenzy, stopping briefly four times before resuming the violence until an ambulance arrived. A jury cleared him of attempted murder, but he admitted to wounding with intent and possessing an offensive weapon. On Wednesday, he received a 12-year sentence with a four-year extended licence period. As a Romanian national, Mut faces deportation after serving two-thirds of his term, or eight years.
Events Leading to the Attack
On April 11, 2024, Mut encountered Watts by chance and offered him a stay at his house in multiple occupation (HMO) for £20. Back at the Whitehall Road address, Mut consumed crack cocaine, left to withdraw cash for more drugs, then returned to continue using drugs and drinking alcohol. An argument erupted, prompting Watts to flee outside and arm himself with a metal chair leg.
Mut, bare-chested, emerged and kicked out after Watts struck him. He then drew a knife, stabbing Watts three times before the blade broke. Watts sought refuge in the HMO, but Mut charged, wrestled him to the ground, seized the chair leg, and unleashed a barrage of blows to the head and body.
Judge’s Remarks
Judge Farrer stated: “Having put him to the ground you pulled the metal chair leg from his grasp and launched a sustained attack against him with that weapon. You aimed blows at his head and body. At one stage he told you, you cracked his skull.”
The victim rose and retreated, but Mut pursued, striking his ribs with the chair leg, slamming him against a van, and then to the ground. Judge Farrer added: “You then launched a prolonged and brutal attack upon him involving you striking him repeatedly with the chair leg, with kicks, stamps and punches. CCTV shows many blows with the chair leg delivered with force. His injuries demonstrate many were to his head.”
