Murder of Hartlepool pensioner was an "act of terror" according to Teesside Crown Court Judge
A terrorist who stabbed a stranger to death in an attack motivated by the conflict in Gaza has been jailed for at least 44 years at Teesside Crown Court.
A terrorist who stabbed a stranger to death in an attack motivated by the conflict in Gaza has been jailed for at least 44 years at Teesside Crown Court.
Ahmed Ali Alid - an asylum seeker who claimed to be from Morocco - murdered 70-year-old Terence Carney last October after prowling the streets of Hartlepool with a knife.
Ahmed Alid, 45, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 45 years for stabbing Terence Carney, 70, six times in Hartlepool town centre on October 15 - eight days after Hamas attacked Israel.
Minutes earlier he attempted to murder his housemate, Christian convert and former bodybuilder Javed Nouri, by breaking into his bedroom and hacking at him while he slept.
Alid shouted "Allahu Akbar" - "God is great" - during the attack at the Home Office-approved asylum seekers' accommodation before fleeing into the street, still armed with a knife.
Doorbell camera footage showed Mr Carney, who was out walking in the town centre, cry out "No, no" as he was stabbed by the stranger.
Prosecutors at Teesside Crown Court said it was not a frenzied attack but a deliberate attempt to target Mr Carney's body repeatedly before he walked off, leaving his victim for dead.
In a holding cell at Middlesbrough police station after his arrest, Alid launched into a speech in Arabic saying that "Allah willing, Gaza would return to be an Arab country" and how he would have continued his "raid" if his hands had not been injured.
Alid, who strongly disapproved of Mr Nouri's conversion to Christianity, said God was "displeased" with those who went astray.
The judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb told Alid he had "hoped to frighten the people of Britain and undermine the freedoms they enjoy" when he murdered Mr Carney in a terrorist attack.
She said the attack on Mr Nouri was "an attempt to punish him for converting to Christianity".
Mr Carney's wife Patricia Carney said her husband went out walking early every morning because he enjoyed the peace and quiet on the streets.
In a statement read to the court during the sentencing hearing, Mrs Carney said: "Tess was doing what he had always done and enjoyed doing - he was taking a walk on a street he believed to be safe and a chance encounter with this man ended his life."
She said she had been with Mr Carney from a young age and although they had been living separately for a few years, they were "still very much together".
Mrs Carney's statement said she can no longer go into town because it is "too painful" to be near the spot where her husband was murdered.
"From that day on, my life would be forever changed. I don't feel anything anymore," she said.
Mr Nouri, 31, said that since the attack, he does not "trust anyone or anything" and "all thoughts and feelings I had of being in a safe country have gone".
His statement added: "I would expect to be arrested and killed in my home country for converting to Christianity but I did not expect to be attacked in my sleep here.
"How is it possible for someone to destroy someone's life because of his religion?"
Mr Nouri said he now struggles with mental health problems and has had to move cities, losing all his friends.
He added: "I want to tell Ahmed: You are a weak person, because of your religion you attack someone in deep sleep and an old man who struggled to walk."
During Alid's trial, jurors heard his housemates noticed he had watched a lot of coverage of the Hamas attacks on Israel and began carrying a knife.
Concerned, Mr Nouri complained to housing bosses, the Home Office and Cleveland Police, and a manager warned Alid to behave or risk being thrown out.
During his police interview the day after the murder, Alid said he launched his attacks because "Israel had killed innocent children".
Jonathan Sandiford KC, prosecuting, told the court: "In other words, he said he had committed the attempted murder of Javed Nouri and the murder of Mr Carney in revenge for what he believed to be the killing of children by Israel.
"He swore by Allah that if he had had a machine gun and more weapons, he would have killed more victims."
Alid admitted Mr Carney was "innocent", justifying the attack by saying Britain had created the "Zionist entity" of Israel and should make them leave, adding: "They killed children and I killed an old man."
During questioning, Alid began to get agitated and got into a struggle with two female detectives, one of whom pressed a panic button that did not work.
The situation was so frightening, Alid's own solicitor rang 999 to ask for help, before officers were able to force entry into the room and subdue him.
Alid denied murder, attempted murder and assaulting the two officers, claiming he did carry out the stabbings but without intention to kill or cause serious harm.
He was found guilty of all four charges last month.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb ruled Alid had committed terrorist offences when he murdered Mr Carney and attempted to murder Mr Nouri.
She said due to time spent on remand he would serve 44 years and 52 days in prison.
The judge said he had waited to assault Mr Nouri when he was "asleep and vulnerable", and that "the life he had started to build in this country was shattered by what happened".
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Alid then "attacked an unarmed and elderly man who was unable to defend himself".
The judge told Alid the jury had "seen through (his) lies" after he claimed the explanations he gave to the police had been mistranslated and that political and religious causes were not his actual motivation.
She said psychiatric reports had found no evidence of psychosis "or any other serious mental illness" in Alid.
She said he was deemed to have a "minor mental illness" called an adjustment disorder which would have affected his judgment and was caused by pressures including his tension with Mr Nouri, the "drawn out" decision of his asylum application, and the "emotional impact on his religious sensibilities" of Israel's response to the Hamas attack.
The judge said this offered "very limited mitigation" as it was not sufficiently linked to "such a serious level of violence".
Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley is Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East who led the investigation, supported by Cleveland Police.
He said: “In this case it was appropriate that the decision to declare this horrific incident as an act of terrorism was made once all the evidence had been heard by the court.
“The defendant had expressed, during the time of his arrest and whilst in custody, that his actions were inspired by the Israel-Hamas conflict. He appeared to have developed a fixation with the events there.
“International conflicts can create a mix of outrage, grief and grievance which has the potential to galvanise those with an extremist or potentially extremist mind-set to take action. Sadly, as we have seen in this case, it can have devastating consequences.
“Nothing can justify the actions of the defendant that day. I have no doubt that the bravery of the Cleveland officers involved in the initial response prevented further harm or loss of life that morning. Today’s sentence reflects the shocking and horrendous nature of the crimes this man has committed.
“I again wish to pass on our deepest sympathies to Mr Carney’s family. Throughout the months following the incident, and during the trial, they have shown great dignity. We ask that their wishes are respected, and they are given the time to grieve in private.”
Deputy Chief Constable of Cleveland Police, Victoria Fuller said:
“The shocking events in Hartlepool on 15 October 2023, which led to the tragic death of 70-year-old Terence Carney, shook the local community to its core.
“Alid’s actions not only left a family devastated, but also caused significant fear and distress amongst residents in Hartlepool and beyond and today’s sentence reflects the shocking crimes that were committed.
“I would like to publicly thank the Cleveland Police officers who were involved in this incident for their swift and brave actions. They undoubtedly prevented harm being caused to other potential victims due to their fast response and professionalism. This is a further reminder that our officers find themselves in potentially dangerous situations every day, all while doing their job.
“On behalf of Cleveland Police I would like to pay tribute to Mr Carney’s family who have shown such dignity and self-respect throughout. Our heartfelt sympathies are with them.
“I would also like to acknowledge the bravery of Mr Javid Nouri who has fully supported the investigation.
“Cleveland Police will continue to work hard to keep the communities across Teesside safe.”