A "random attack" has seen a man repeatedly stab a nine-year-old boy.

The incident occurred just after 3.00pm on May 8, 2021, when the boy and his older brother were walking along Peveril Road, Peterborough.

After following them, Faisal Kahn, overtook the boys and turned to face them.

The 26-year-old then pulled a knife out of his pocket and attacked the younger brother, stabbing him around 15 times to the face, head and hands.

The attack continued until local residents began to come out of their homes.

%image(14515943, type="article-full", alt="Khan discarded a "bloodied knife" after fleeing the scene.")

At which point, Khan fled, discarding a "bloodied knife" onto the driveway of of a house in Alexandra Road.

The child was airlifted to hospital and later underwent specialist reconstructive surgery.

However, the nine-year-old was left with permanent scarring and life-changing injuries.

After being arrested, Khan was deemed not fit to be interviewed by police.

He pleaded guilty to attempted murder at Peterborough Crown Court on May 30 this year (2022).

On Friday (July 1), Khan appeared at Cambridge Crown Court, where he was made the subject of an indefinite hospital order.

He will only be released when he is deemed not to pose any risk to the public.

Detective constable Rob Giffen, of Cambridgeshire Police, said: “I can only imagine the feeling of sheer terror these two boys had when approached by a stranger in the street who then pulled out a knife.

"I would like to praise them for being so incredibly brave despite their ordeal.

“The impact of his attack on the young victim should not be underestimated – he was left scared to go out, stopped seeing his friends, had nightmares and couldn’t understand why someone would attack him for no reason.

“Alongside all of this he has been left with injuries that will stay with him for life.

"I hope the conclusion of this case brings some closure for him and his family and allows them to move on from this traumatic period in their lives.”

Information regarding knife crime can be found on the Cambridgeshire Police website.