Man who attacked former colleagues jailed for 16 years

A 31-year-old man will face 16 years behind bars after he stormed his former workplace and stabbed five people.

Babah Sesay, (01.03.1994) of Rodney Road, Southwark, was handed the sentence at Croydon Crown Court on Friday, 29 August having been swiftly arrested by Met officers following the incident.

In March he admitted ten charges relating to the incident, including five counts of wounding with intent, two counts of aggravated burglary, one count of actual bodily harm, one count of assault by beating and one count of possession of an offensive weapon.

On the morning of Thursday, 23 January, Sesay burst into a bustling distribution centre in Marlowe Way, Beddington and attacked a handful of his former colleagues as they tried to apprehend him.

Five men were taken to hospital following the incident - one in his 50s, two in their 30s and two in their 20s - where luckily their injuries were confirmed to be non-life-threatening or life-changing.

Chief Superintendent Nick Blackburn, local policing commander for south London, said: “This significant jail term provides justice to the victims and highlights to the people of London that we will not tolerate violence in any form.

“No one should go to work and fear for their safety. The swift actions of our first responding officers meant no one was seriously hurt in this terrifying incident and I’d like to personally thank them again for their bravery.”

Although Sesay fled the scene, officers quickly flooded the nearby area and carried out a thorough search to locate him at a nearby fast food restaurant shortly after the attack. He was taken to hospital with minor injuries following his arrest, before being transferred to custody.

A charge of criminal damage was left to lie on file.