Knifeman tried to murder rough sleeper

A Norwegian knifeman who two tried to murder a rough sleeper in a random attack is facing years in jail.

Egidijus Kotovas, 29, repeatedly stabbed his homeless victim as he slept in a doorway near Liverpool Street station in the early hours of 24 August 2022.

The man was lucky to survive after he was slashed to the left-hand side of his neck close to a main artery.

He was rushed to the Royal London Hospital where thankfully his condition later improved.

City of London police officers launched a manhunt and arrested Kotovas, the next day.

Kotovas, from Oslo, claimed he had no recollection of the incident having suffered a blackout at the time.

But he was convicted of attempted murder and two counts of possessing knives.

Kotovas was remanded in custody ahead of sentence on 24 April.

Robin Ghosh, Senior Crown Prosecutor from the CPS said: ‘The evidence in this case clearly demonstrated that Kotovas stabbed his victim in an utterly senseless, motiveless and cold blooded attack.

‘The case highlights the vulnerability of London’s rough sleepers given they do not have a safe place to call home and the need for crimes against them to be reported to the Police without delay.

A highly dangerous individual will thankfully now be removed from our streets. It is hoped that these convictions will go some way to reassuring the homeless community of London that any crimes against them will be rigorously investigated by the police and robustly prosecuted by the CPS.’