Mum stabbed multiple times in front of young son after turning to face stranger
12.06.2023 - 15:51
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
A mum who was stabbed multiple times by a stranger has described the "devastating" effect it has had on her, knowing her young son witnessed the horrific attack.
The woman, who was 24 at the time, was holding her son's hand through Withington, Greater Manchester, when she noticed her attacker behind her. Despite crossing the road and warning him to leave her alone, he continued to pursue her.
She turned and saw his "emotionless" face, before he stabbed at her repeatedly with a large knife as her five-year-old son watched on. She fell backwards and kicked out at him, but he continued the brutal assault.
Attacker Hasan Arif, 19, has since been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, after displaying increasingly strange behaviour in the days leading up to the attack.
The woman told Manchester Evening News she felt guilt over what happened. The victim, who has not been identified, said: “Since the incident I have felt so much guilt in relation to my son. My son was with me at the time.
"The thought my five-year-old child saw this is devastating. I was stuck in hospital not able to get the attacker’s face out of my mind.
“I felt, and still do feel, unbelievable guilt all the time, our whole world changed. My son has never spent a single day away from me since the incident, and this had a massive impact on me, and I feel like I let my son down.”
The woman said that since the attack, she has had to move house and quit her job as a carer. She continued: “Every time I step outside I get heart palpitations, begin to sweat and struggle to breathe and I try to hide from my son. If I was in the same situation again with somebody behind me, I stop and let them pass. I am unable to sleep and I wake up seeing the emotionless face of the