Meeraz Bachu found not guilty of attempted murder after stabbing a man on Mutley Plain, Plymouth, in April 2022.
CCTV footage showed him stabbing a man twice in the chest with a long kitchen knife. The jury deliberated for over seven hours but did not find him guilty of the most serious charges.
Bachu lived on Ebrington Street in Plymouth. He admitted to possessing a knife in public and affray. He also admitted to hurting a police officer and pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding on the trial day.
CCTV showed Bachu at a Premier store on Mutley Plain with a knife that he took from a pizza box. He scared shop workers and slashed with the red-handled knife.
He sometimes hid the knife. When a second worker approached, three men entered the store and ran away from Bachu. He chased one man and slashed at him closely.
Bachu also confronted another man who was walking home from work. Bachu chased him down the street until the man sought safety at Domino’s, which was already shut. Bachu wrestled the man and stabbed him twice.
He chased the man again, following him on Mutley Plain until police arrived. They sprayed liquid on Bachu’s face, which stopped him from chasing further.
On the way to the station, Bachu kicked a police officer in the arm and chest, leading to the assault charge. The victim has been off work since the incident, which happened in April 2022.
The victim had lung bleeding and a collapsed left lung. He also suffered a wound to his diaphragm and needed chest wall surgery, staying in the hospital for six days.
Judge Simon Carr thanked the jury and discharged them. Bachu is currently in Langdon Hospital, which offers mental health services, and will stay there until sentencing. The sentencing will cover the crimes he admitted.
The sentencing is scheduled for April 3 at Truro Crown Court, pending a psychiatric report. Judge Carr thanked Bachu, stating he acted with dignity, and wished him a quick recovery.