Thugs jailed after repeatedly stabbing man in Dumfries Street in Luton last year

A gang has been jailed after carrying out a barbaric attack on a man in a Luton street last May, stabbing him repeatedly in the legs.
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The savage attack on Callum Lidder took place in Dumfries Street on Sunday, May 6, last year. It occurred on the same afternoon that 20-year-old Waryam Hussain lost his life in a separate stabbing in Bishopscote Road.

On Tuesday at Luton Crown Court, Junaid Hussain, 22, Rafiqull Islam, 21, and Hassan Mehmood, 20, were each jailed after pleading guilty to the attack on Mr Lidder.

At around 3pm on Sunday, May 6, the victim was walking on Dumfries Street when he was attacked by the trio who mistakenly believed he was behind an arson attack at Hussein’s home on May 3.

Hassan Mehmood, Junaid Hussain and Rafiqull IslamHassan Mehmood, Junaid Hussain and Rafiqull Islam
Hassan Mehmood, Junaid Hussain and Rafiqull Islam

CCTV clearly showed Hussain’s car driving along the street, then stopping, as the victim was spotted running into view of the camera.

The three men jumped out of the vehicle and chased Mr Lidder along the road, catching up with him outside the Citi Residence apartment building.

They pinned him against the glass door of the building, before forcing him out of the doorway where they repeatedly stabbed his legs.

When he tried to get up, they pushed him back down and launched a barrage of punches and kicks, stamping on his head and slashing his face.

The men then fled in Hussain’s car, leaving the victim lying motionless in the road. Two hours later, Hussain called police to report the theft of his registration plates in an attempt to build a false alibi.

The three were subsequently arrested and charged in connection with the attack. Hussain was sentenced to eight years and eight months, Islam was jailed for nine years and Mehmood received ten years and nine months.

In summing up, Judge Richard Foster warned of the perils of taking the law into your own hands.

Det Sgt Jo Goodson said: “This was a vicious, revenge-motivated attack in broad daylight, in the mistaken belief the victim was responsible for starting a fire at Hussain’s home.

“This violent behaviour is totally unacceptable on our streets, as is the idea to deal out vigilante-style justice.

“It was entirely by luck that the wounds inflicted on this victim were not more serious, and this did not become a murder investigation.

“There is no excuse for carrying knives, and I hope that the lengthy sentences awarded to the offenders serve as a warning to others about the consequences of using a weapon.”

Tackling knife crime in Bedfordshire is a priority for the force.

Operation Sceptre is the force’s dedicated response to knife crime, working hard to reduce the number of people who carry knives.