A violent attacker paused four times to catch his breath during a savage 13-minute assault on an elderly man in a Birmingham street, halting only when his knife blade snapped.
The Ferocious Assault
Razvan Mut, 35, stabbed, kicked, punched, and stamped on Stephen Watts, repeatedly striking him with a metal chair leg more than 60 times. The 65-year-old victim sustained severe injuries on Whitehall Road in Handsworth, suffering cardiac arrest at the scene. Paramedics revived him by massaging his heart back to beating right there on the road.
CCTV footage captured Mut’s relentless barrage, including powerful blows to Watts’ head and body. The attacker exhausted himself, stopping briefly four times before resuming the brutality until an ambulance arrived.
Background to the Incident
On April 11, 2024, Watts encountered Mut by chance. Mut offered him a stay in his house in multiple occupation for £20. They returned to the Whitehall Road address, where Mut consumed crack cocaine, withdrew money for more drugs, and continued using substances while drinking alcohol. An argument erupted.
Watts fled outside, grabbing a metal chair leg for defense. Bare-chested, Mut kicked out in response, then drew a knife and stabbed Watts three times before the blade broke. Watts sought refuge in the HMO, but Mut chased him, forced him down, and seized the chair leg.
Court Sentencing
At Birmingham Crown Court, a jury cleared Mut of attempted murder. He pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possessing an offensive weapon, receiving a 12-year sentence with a four-year extended licence period. The Romanian national faces deportation after serving two-thirds of his term—eight years.
Judge Farrer described the attack: “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 judge continued: “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.”
