A man who repeatedly stabbed a victim in the head and neck during an unprovoked street attack in Shipley has been sentenced to life imprisonment, with a judge ruling he remains a significant danger to the public.
Asad Abbas, 41, of Leeds Road, Shipley, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent following the attack on Crag Street on 18 September 2025. Bradford Crown Court heard Abbas punched the 52-year-old victim before stabbing him multiple times with a knife in a violent assault that left him just centimetres away from sustaining fatal injuries.
The victim suffered nine injuries, including stab wounds to the head and neck. Medical evidence showed one wound narrowly missed major arteries, with doctors concluding it was “purely by chance” that the injuries were not fatal.
Moments after the attack, Abbas reportedly told a neighbour: “I’ve just stabbed someone multiple times,” before winking.
Police quickly traced a blood trail to the victim and arrested Abbas at his home, where officers recovered the knife, bloodstained clothing and a man bag containing the victim’s blood.
During sentencing, Judge Jonathan Rose said Abbas had launched the attack while already armed with a knife and rejected his claims that the victim had been carrying the weapon.
“You had the knife. You attacked him. You stabbed him repeatedly,” the judge said.
The court also heard Abbas has a previous conviction for the attempted murder of 71-year-old Catholic priest Father Michael Ingwell in 2005, when he stabbed the priest 12 times after breaking into his Halifax home.
Despite suffering from schizophrenia, the court accepted medical evidence that Abbas was not experiencing an acute psychotic episode at the time of the latest attack.
The victim described the assault as “horrific”, saying it had left his life feeling as though it had “hit a brick wall”.
Detective Constable Arman Hussain of Bradford CID said the attack was “violent and unprovoked” and said the victim was fortunate not to have suffered even more serious injuries.
Abbas was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of four years and 250 days before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board. He will only be released if the Parole Board is satisfied he no longer poses a danger to the public.
The knife used in the attack was ordered to be forfeited and destroyed.
