Momodoulamin Saine has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of committing murder over an argument about a spilt drink in a bar in Cardiff, Wales last year.
Saine, 28, will serve a minimum of 24 years behind bars for stabbing 21-year-old Asim Khan, after Khan accidentally kicked over his drink, which Saine set down on the floor of Soda bar on Mill Lane, while he smoked a cigarette.
The killer denied murdering Khan, arguing that the act was not premeditated and that he has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, however, Saine was not suffering from an episode at the time of the murder, according to Wales Online.
He was found guilty by a jury at Newport Crown Court earlier this month.
The court heard that Saine stalked Khan as well as his brother Hamza outside of a McDonald’s four hours after the incident over the spilt drink occurred. Saine was found to have stabbed the 21-year-old with a 9cm to 10cm knife, as he hailed racial abuse at the two brothers.
The presiding judge in the case, Mr Justice Griffiths told Saine in his sentencing remarks: “I recognise that no sentence I can pass will bring back the life you took.”
“It has changed your life too, as you face your sentence.
“You said you carried a knife for protection. How wrong you were. No one is protected by a knife – not even the person who carries it. Knives end lives.”
In a statement read to the court, the mother of the victim said: “Every day, we mourn the loss of Asim. You can never imagine a worse pain and heartache.”
“So many people deeply loved him. Every day, we are filled with deep sadness and completely devastated. The tremendous void will never be filled,” she added.
The brother of the slain victim Hamza Khan, 24, was also found guilty of committing grievous bodily harm with intent after he allegedly attempted to defend his brother from the murderer. He will be sentenced on July 31st.
“I was not intentionally kicking him to the head,” Hamza told the court, adding: “I was kicking so my brother could get up and move off, I was defending my brother.”
The sentencing of murderer Momodoulamin Saine comes as knife crime in England and Wales hit a record high in the year leading up to March 2020.
Crimes committed with knives in the UK rose 6 per cent over the previous year, totalling some 46,265 recorded crimes involving a knife. The figures are likely to be higher than the official figure, however, as due to a reported computing error, police in Greater Manchester did not contribute their statistics.
Follow Kurt on Twitter at @KurtZindulka
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