A teenager who wielded a zombie knife at Notting Hill Carnival, slashing open a man's stomach, has been jailed for 18 years. Rumarni Tuitt, 19, used a 12-inch blade to attack 18-year-old Kamani Spooner in front of horrified carnival-goers on August 26 last year.
The attack left Spooner with his intestines hanging out after Tuitt sliced open his stomach and stabbed him four more times in the side and back. The victim also suffered cuts to his right forearm during the brutal assault in Canal Way, west London, just before 8pm.
Previous weapon conviction
Tuitt had already been caught carrying a Rambo knife at the same carnival the previous year, though no one was injured in that incident. He was serving a community order for that offence when he launched the devastating attack on Spooner, the Old Bailey heard.
The defendant, from Walthamstow, east London, was found guilty of attempted murder after admitting possession of a knife. Judge Judy Khan KC told him it was fortunate that Spooner "escaped with his life" during Friday's sentencing.
No prior connection
Prosecutor Mark Paltenghi said the two young men did not know each other before their paths crossed at the carnival. Spooner had spent much of the day drinking with friends when a fight broke out around him with three people throwing punches nearby.
"He then recalls being hit in the back and upon looking at his arm, saw it had been cut, then looked down and saw that his intestines were hanging out," Paltenghi said. "He put his hand over them and just ran. He cannot cast any light on why it was he would have been attacked."
Self-defence claim rejected
Tuitt claimed he was acting in self-defence, though jurors were told there was no evidence he harboured any grievance against Spooner. The judge said the attack in front of a "substantial number" of people put others at risk of injury in the crowded public space.
Defence barrister Sheryl Nwosu said Tuitt's young age, immaturity and neurodivergence had affected his actions. She argued he had made "impulsive and reckless" decisions by attending the carnival armed with a weapon out of a "perceived need for self protection".
Judge Khan said there could be "no excuse for committing an offence of this gravity". As Tuitt was sentenced, a woman in the public gallery broke down in tears.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
