A Sudanese asylum seeker who threatened a Christian preacher with a knife in Hyde Park has been spared jail. Ahmed Mohammed, 35, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to 22 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, after admitting the offence.
The incident occurred on May 25 last year at Speakers' Corner. Mohammed approached preacher Daniel Ayettey and asked, 'What would you like to happen in my life?' When Ayettey replied, 'I would like to have the Lord in your life,' Mohammed became angry, dragged the preacher off a ladder, and fled. He returned shortly after with a knife, saying, 'I am going to stab you.'
Mohammed, who arrived in the UK in 2012, has 29 previous convictions for 67 offences. Judge Martin Griffith noted his 'shocking record of convictions' but accepted that he had already spent eight months in custody and had agreed to undergo alcohol treatment.
Prosecutor Nicholas Mesure told the court that Mohammed's demeanour changed quickly after Ayettey's response. Bystanders, including some Muslims, tried to persuade Ayettey not to call the police. Mohammed also confessed to three counts of theft from a Sainsbury's store weeks before the knife attack.
As part of his sentence, Mohammed must attend 30 days of rehabilitation activities and six months of alcohol treatment in Brent. He is banned from Westminster and from consuming drugs and alcohol. The judge warned that if he reoffends, he will be sent 'back to prison'. Mohammed will return to court on April 10 for a progress check.
