A man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for what a judge described as the 'most sustained attack' he has ever encountered. Razvan Mut, 35, of no fixed address, carried out a brutal 13-minute assault on Stephen Watts, then aged 65, in a Handsworth street.
The Attack
Mut struck Mr Watts with a metal chair leg more than 60 times, stabbed him repeatedly with a knife, and also punched, stamped, and kicked him. The victim effectively died at the scene but was revived by medics through life-saving treatment. He later passed away from unrelated causes.
Court Proceedings
At Birmingham Crown Court, Mut pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possession of an offensive weapon. A jury cleared him of attempted murder. Judge Paul Farrer sentenced him to 12 years in custody with an extended four-year licence period. The Romanian national faces deportation after serving two-thirds of his sentence, which is eight years.
Judge Farrer stated: '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.'
Details of the Incident
The attack occurred on April 11, 2024. Mr Watts met Mut by chance and offered him accommodation in return for £20. Mut took crack cocaine, went to withdraw money for more drugs, and returned to the HMO on Whitehall Road around 11.30pm. He reacted angrily to a woman shouting in the street, forcing her to the ground and dragging her. Inside, he consumed more crack and alcohol with Mr Watts. A falling out, possibly over drugs, led Mr Watts to run outside, inadvertently locking himself out. He armed himself with a broken metal chair leg and shouted at Mut, who came out bare-chested. Mr Watts retreated and struck Mut multiple times with the chair leg. Mut retaliated by kicking and then stabbing Mr Watts three times until the blade broke. After a struggle, Mut forced Mr Watts to the ground and launched a sustained attack with the chair leg, delivering 26 blows in the first phase. Mr Watts got up and tried to back away, but Mut pursued, striking him to the ribs and knocking him against a van. The judge noted that Mut delivered at least 67 blows with the chair leg over 13 minutes, pausing for breath and returning to attack the semi-conscious man on four separate occasions. He only stopped when an ambulance arrived.
Injuries and Aftermath
Mr Watts suffered multiple broken bones to his head, face, ribs, and Adam's apple, as well as punctured lungs and a cut spleen. He required five surgeries. In a statement, he said the attack 'truly messed up my life', describing problems walking, speaking, and breathing. He died in June last year from unrelated causes.
Defence and Background
Joseph Keating, defending, said Mut suffered anxiety, depression, and PTSD following a fall from a fourth floor in Romania. He has one child in Romania and a partner and two children in the UK. Keating noted that Mut has done 'remarkably well' in prison, tackling drug and alcohol addiction, taking courses, and becoming an 'enhanced prisoner'.
