An elderly man had his chest cut open and his heart massaged back to life by paramedics after what a judge described as the 'most sustained attack' he had ever encountered.
The Attack
Razvan Mut, 35, struck Stephen Watts, who was in his 60s, with a chair leg more than 60 times during a 13-minute rampage in Whitehall Road, Handsworth, after a chance meeting. Mut repeatedly stabbed, punched, stamped, and kicked Watts, causing horrendous injuries.
Mr Watts effectively died at the scene, only for doctors to perform miraculous life-saving treatment. He suffered multiple broken bones to his head, face, ribs, and even his Adam's apple, as well as punctured lungs and a cut spleen.
Life-Saving Intervention
Mr Watts went into cardiac arrest, and paramedics were forced to cut open his chest and massage his heart back to a start to save his life. He was treated at the scene for half an hour before being rushed to hospital in a critical condition. He went on to have five surgeries for his injuries.
In a statement, Mr Watts described how he had problems breathing, speaking, and walking since the brutal attack, saying it had 'truly messed up my life'. He sadly died in June last year from unrelated causes.
Court Proceedings
Birmingham Crown Court heard that Mut had expended so much energy in the attack that he paused for breath on four separate occasions before continuing, only stopping when the ambulance arrived. The court was told Mr Watts had met Mut by chance on April 11, 2024. Mut had offered a place to stay in return for £20 at his HMO but took crack cocaine and alcohol, and an argument later broke out leading to the sustained attack.
Mut, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 12 years with an extended four-year licence on Wednesday. He had pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of an offensive weapon, although a jury had cleared him of attempted murder. The Romanian national faces deportation when he is released after serving two-thirds of his sentence.
Judge Paul Farrer said: 'This is of its type the most sustained attack I have ever encountered. It really is a case where the extreme skill of those who attended at the scene saved his life and saved Mr Mut from a murder conviction.'
