Judge blames weed for wrecking knifeman’s life as he is jailed for cop attack
A university drop-out who slashed at four police officers with a kitchen knife while high on super-strength weed has been jailed for 15 years.
Alex Traykov, 20, smoked ‘Cali’ cannabis we in a park before luring police to a flat in Liverpool Road, Islington, north London, with a bogus 999 call.
Lying in wait with a huge blade behind his back he leapt at the responding officers, hacking wildly at their faces and necks in an ambush that left them fearing they would be killed.
CCTV of the shocking attack showed Traykov, whose face was described as ‘blank and expressionless’ throughout, repeatedly lunging at the officers before he was Tasered twice, handcuffed and arrested.
An Old Bailey jury cleared Traykov of four counts of attempted murder last month but found him guilty of three counts of GBH with intent and one of attempted wounding.
Traykov, originally from Sofia, Bulgaria, returned to the same court where Judge Wendy Joseph QC jailed him for 15 years over the ‘truly terrifying attack’
She said he was ‘apparently an intelligent young man’ who ‘would have had every prospect of a successful career in his future life had he not involved himself in the heavy use of cannabis’.
‘He decided to make a 999 call pretending a fight was going on to induce police officers to attend the address,’ the judge continued.
‘I accept that he was under the influence of cannabis at the time, but certainly not to the extent that he did not know what he was doing.
‘He was able to concoct his story, answer questions and provide a false name in a way sufficiently compelling that police officers were immediately dispatched to the address.’
Judge Joseph added: ‘I cannot rule out the possibility that at the time of the 999 call Mr Traykov did have in mind some very unfunny “joke” on his friends but, if he did, I am sure that shortly thereafter and well before the officers arrived he armed himself with a knife for the purpose of injuring them.’
Jurors heard WPC Istarlin Said-Ali, 31, knocked on the front door at the flat in Liverpool Road and was the first to be confronted by Traykov.
He brought the bent kitchen knife with a 23cm knife crashing down on her head sending her sprawling backwards.
Advancing towards the other officers he lashed out and knocked them to the floor late on 6 October 2018.
Traykov then stabbed PC Rafal Kedziora, 34, in the face causing a 4cm wound, before bringing the blade down on the back of his head.
He also sliced the finger of PC Said-Ali as she raised her hand to block a second blow.
PC Launa Watkins, 39, was pinned to the floor by Traykov and her colleague 40-year-old PC Ben Thomson’s arm was cut open.
Traykov also jabbed at WPC Launa Watkins, 39, before he was stopped.
Judge Joseph said the officers ‘clawed, crawled and stumbled’ their way onto the pavement to get away from the ‘frenzied attack’.
The four officers sat in the well of the court in their uniforms and took turns reading statements detailing the impact the incident had on them.
From behind a curtain shielding him from the dock, PC Kedziora said the effects were ‘still ongoing’, adding that he is battling ‘a great deal of anguish’.
He added that he ‘never expected to have to fight for [his] life’ being ‘stabbed in the face and neck’ and said he now fears for his and his partner’s safety whilst out in London.
PC Thompson told the court that although his own and some of the other officers’ physical wounds had almost healed, his colleague Raf’s scars ‘will be there confronting him when he looks in the mirror’.
He sobbed as he described how that ‘night of horrendous violence’ has now left him apprehensive about ‘rushing to someone’s aid or assistance’, adding: ‘Seconds can be the difference between life and death in this job.’
The policeman said his mind had been ‘stuck on pause’ remembering the attack and wondered about how they were able to withstand the ‘quick and ferocious’ onslaught without suffering more serious injuries.
PC Watkins added that ‘no amount of service had prepared [her] for what happened that night’ while PC Said-Ali recalled repeatedly throwing up due to shock and the sight of PC Kedziora’s injuries.
Traykov, who has smoked weed since he was 14, told the court he dropped out of Winchester University last Easter while studying black history.
He said he spent a lot of time smoking weed and playing video games.
The then-19-year-old met up with college friend Marcell Uba on the night of the attack and went to a nearby park to smoke three super strength ‘Cali’ cannabis joints which made him hungry.
‘It is strong, really strong Cali, like California.’
‘I cannot really remember after the first one. Well it hit me hard after the first one.’
Returning to the flat he told jurors he thought it would be funny to call the police as a prank on his friend while celebrating his birthday.
Afterwards he said he went into the kitchen and began to make crumpets using a bread knife and forgot he had dialled for the officers.
Recalling hearing the doorbell ring the well-spoken said: ‘Marcell had given up on the whole crumpet experience. I brought the knife with me. I was planning to make that crumpet.
‘I am just thinking who is this at the door? I saw a group of police officers. They were waving flashing lights in my face.
‘I just remember seeing them and looking at them thinking what do I do?’
He insisted he did not intend to hurt the officers and was still under the influence of the cannabis.
Traykov, of Redhill, Surrey, was jailed for 15 years.
ENDS
