Meeraz Bachu faces attempted murder charges after allegedly stabbing a man in an unprovoked attack caught on CCTV.
Meeraz Bachu, 23, appeared in court wearing a suit and tie. He faces charges beyond attempted murder, including assault and threats with a knife.
The prosecutor, Simon Jones, told the jury that the victim, Martin Gale, was walking home in the early hours of April 8, 2022. Jones claims Bachu approached Gale with a knife and launched an “unprovoked, frenzied and brutal attack,” stabbing Gale twice in the torso.
The entire event was captured by CCTV cameras, and the jury will view this footage to understand what happened. Jones showed the jury CCTV clips with the help of investigator Andrew Trott-Rodgers, who used footage from council and store cameras.
The video shows Bachu leaving his home at 1:08 a.m. and walking to Regent Street. He appeared again on camera at 2:33 a.m., walking past a Tesco store carrying pizza and a large kitchen knife.
Later, Bachu walked back with a woman, who then left him. Bachu kicked a can and threw it at a store’s door. He pulled the knife and went toward Dilbar Subair, a worker who defended himself with a mop.
Bachu grabbed the mop, and the worker grabbed a “wet floor” sign to block him. Subair got the mop back as Bachu hid the knife. The owner, Thirunavukarasu Mahendarajah, came out, and Bachu asked if anyone spoke Hindi.
Mahendarajah shut the counter door as Bachu stared at the expensive alcohol. Three men walked into the store, and the workers warned them about Bachu’s knife. Bachu chased the men out, focusing on Luke Morrish. He slashed at Morrish with the knife, and Morrish ran away with Bachu chasing him.
Martin Gale walked by wearing a yellow jacket. Bachu confronted Gale as the other three men ran toward a pizza store. One man pounded on the pizza store door, and then Gale pounded on the window. Bachu attacked Gale at the window, stabbing him twice. Others tried to stop Bachu as Gale tried to escape.
Gale hammered on the pizza store window again, bleeding a lot before falling to the ground. Bachu followed with the knife. Gale staggered up the street, going across the road with Bachu walking after him, switching the knife to his other hand.
A police car arrived, and Gale waved at the officers by the railings. Bachu kept approaching him. Police used spray on Bachu, who dropped the knife and was arrested. Bachu kicked an officer on the way to the station and is charged with assaulting an officer.
Jones said Bachu “relentlessly” stabbed Gale, who needed surgery and had lung damage. He spent six days in the hospital. Jones added that things could have been worse.
A psychiatrist said Bachu had schizophrenia, and two psychiatrists will testify. They disagree on Bachu’s intent. The Crown’s psychiatrist said Bachu was “actively psychotic” but had some capacity to plan, including taking the knife and targeting people. The Crown also charged him with assault with intent.
Jones read statements from store staff. Subair said Bachu’s face showed no emotion. Mahendarajah saw Bachu “lunge” at Gale and described the stabbing in a 999 call.
Morris said Bachu seemed angry. He slashed at him with the knife from a short distance, then “jabbed” at his stomach from close range. Morrish’s phone fell, and Bachu picked it up. Gale tried to reason with Bachu, asking, “What are you doing?”.
After the arrest, Morrish helped Gale and saw “a substantial amount of blood”. He sat Gale down and tried to stop the bleeding. Ian Hunt, a pizza worker, stated that a man in black pounded on the door. Then, a man in yellow looked panicked and wanted to get in as another man with a knife attacked him. Workers called 999 and hit the panic button.
Gale’s statement was read, stating he did not recall much. He saw men running, saying a man with a knife chased them. He then saw “a strange lad” with a “very big bright red knife”.
The man “was looking rather possessed” and walked toward the group, “trying to get into me”. Gale told Bachu to “drop the knife,” but Bachu “did not say a word.” Gale said he remembers being stabbed and screamed for an ambulance before waking up in the hospital.
Bachu admitted to possessing a knife and also admitted to affray and assaulting an officer. He pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding on the day of the trial. He denies the other charges, and the trial continues.