A Hoxton man has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order for stabbing a man in his neck in an unprovoked attack on a bus.
Rene Thomas, 36, of Murray Grove, Hoxton, slashed the neck of his victim as he sat on the top deck of a number 30 bus with his girlfriend on October 25 last year, in an unprovoked attack.
Thomas had been sitting two rows behind the man wearing a hood with the bottom half of his face covered with a mask.
When the bus stopped in Dalston Lane the victim, who is aged in his 20s, felt Thomas slap him and a “push movement” to his head.
The wound Thomas inflicted was 10cm long and 1.5cm deep, and the victim had to stem the bleeding with a scarf until paramedics rushed him to hosptial in a “serious” condition.
Thomas was sentenced to the indefinite hospital order on Wednesday at Snaresbrook Crown Court, having pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a knife.
A court can order an individual be detained in a hospital for an indefinite length of time if the judge is satisfied, on the evidence of two medical experts, that the offender is suffering from a mental disorder
Investigating officer, Pc Bowman, from the Met’s roads and transport command (RTPC), said: “The evidence against Thomas was overwhelmingly strong, leaving him with no option but to plead guilty and sparing the distress of having to go through a drawn out trial and relive a truly awful situation.
“While this was a totally unprovoked attack, I would like to remind members of the public that the London bus network remains a safe transportation system and that attacks such as this are a rare occurrence.”
Siwan Hayward, TfL’s security director added: “We welcome Thomas’ conviction for this truly heinous crime. “All our customers have the right to travel in safety on our network and we have worked with the police to bring the perpetrator to justice. “Violent incidents on our bus network are thankfully extremely rare, and we always support the strongest possible action against anyone who endangers our customers or staff.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here