Man jailed for 27 years after stabbing stranger in the head in 'heinous' attack
The victim sustained lasting brain damage and was forced into an assisted living facility
A man has been jailed after he stabbed a stranger in the head, leaving them with life-changing injuries.
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Richard Sivanda, 23, has been jailed for 27 years after being sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday.
The Highgate Hill man was convicted of attempted murder after a case of mistaken identity left a 20-year-old victim seriously injured in Archway, north London, on 15 February.
Sivanda was arrested 29 hours after the attack, with CCTV placing him at the scene and showing he had been in the area both before and after it happened.
Met Police investigators later recovered a video in which Sivanda — using a face-distorting filter — said he believed he had killed the victim and boasted about the brutal nature of the attack.
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Detective Chief Inspector Gemma Alger, who led the Met’s investigation, said: “Our thoughts are with the victim of this heinous attack. A victim of mistaken identity, this case shows how gang violence can spill out further onto our streets.
“Sivanda was particularly brazen in his conduct, going as far as to brag on social media of the attack and the lasting damage he caused. Thankfully, our detective work has seen him put behind bars."
Officers were called at 10:28pm on February 15 after a man was admitted to hospital with stab wounds to the head.
Earlier that night, Sivanda had approached the victim and his girlfriend as they walked along Highgate Hill towards Highgate tube station.
Neither of them knew Sivanda, nor had they ever met him.
Sivanda proceeded to challenge the victim and asked him where he was from, believing him to have been a member of a rival gang who was responsible for a murder which had taken place in 2021, a claim for which there was no evidence.
After the victim and his partner walked away, Sivanda chased after them and confronted the victim again, attacking him with a pointed weapon.
Sivanda then fled the scene while the victim was left in a critical condition, later managing to get to hospital and receive life-saving treatment.
Despite this, he was left with lasting brain damage and was forced into an assisted living facility.
Sivanda had previously pleaded guilty to assault with the intention of causing serious harm.
On Wednesday, 14 January, a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court found Sivanda guilty of attempted murder.
Alger added: “Our mission to eradicate this kind of violence is having an impact, with the number of people hospitalised after being stabbed falling by 29% in the last five years.
"This represents promising progress, but we remain focused on driving down serious violence across London.”