Man went from watching TV at home to fleeing his flat covered in blood
Police later followed a trail of blood to find him with a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain
A man was forced to flee his home covered in blood only moments after he had been watching TV with a friend who suddenly turned violent. Homeless Filmon Tesfamariam had been kindly allowed into his victim's flat but snapped when the other male refused to lend him a duvet and pillow.
He then punched the homeowner and hurled objects including a glass candle holder at him, striking him on the head, as the victim begged for the assault to stop. Police later followed a trail of blood to find the casualty with a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Thursday, that Ahmed Jined was watching television with Tesfamariam in his apartment on Hartington Road in Toxteth in the early hours of April 8 this year. He was said to have known the 31-year-old defendant for around a month, becoming friends with him and allowing him to stay in his flat "from time to time" due to his homelessness.
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Kate Morley, prosecuting, described how Tesfamariam, of no fixed address, asked for a blanket and a pillow to "sleep outside across the road" on the evening in question. However, Mr Jined refused as he did not want his bedding to get dirty.
At this, the guest "immediately became aggressive" and punched him in the face, leaving him with a cut lip and bruising. Tesfamariam then began picking up items including a glass candle holder and cups from a table and throwing them at him.
One of these objects hit Mr Jined on the head, causing him to "bleed profusely". The attacked continued even as he "begged the defendant to stop", with the assailant "saying he had been waiting for him and wanted to hurt him".
This apparently "referred to an argument they had a few days earlier", when Tesfamariam was "complaining about his lifestyle" and Mr Jined was "not telling him what he wanted to hear". The complainant was said to have been "so scared for his safety that he fled his flat" and sought refuge in a neighbour's property, from where he called the police.
His attacker was then seen on CCTV footage leaving with a duvet, which was later found bloodstained in the doorway of a church. Tesfamariam was captured returning a few moments later but left again within a minute.
Officers attended the scene and followed a trail of blood upstairs from a communal area to locate Mr Jined, who had sustained several cuts and bruises to his head and was found with his clothes covered in blood. He later spent two days in hospital after suffering a fracture to the skull and bleed on the brain. In a statement which was read out to the court on his behalf, he outlined how he had been left with "paranoia and anxiety" and "scared to walk to the shops" as a result of the incident.
Tesfamariam returned to the property at around 9am the same day and attempted to gain entry, stating "I'm seeing my friend" and claiming that he was "collecting his jacket". His shirt was also bloodstained, while he was noted to have "a lot of blood on his fingers"
After being arrested, he "became abusive and threatening" towards PCs. Under interview, Tesfamariam said he "couldn't remember what happened because he was drunk".
He also told detectives that the "first thing he remembered was waking up in the morning with blood on his hands", adding that he "didn't understand why he had been arrested" and "didn't know if he had assaulted Mr Jined". His criminal record shows one previous conviction for battery, for which he was fined.
This came in relation to an incident on March 11 last year, when employees at Monica's Wines on Smithdown Road refused to sell Tesfamariam alcohol due to him being "highly intoxicated". He responded by hitting one member of staff in the head with an "unknown object", leaving him with minor injuries.
Ben Berkson, defending, told the court: "It is all as a result of alcohol misuse. A realisation has dawned on him that he lives a normal, productive, social life when he is not in drink. He has expressed a commitment to never consume alcohol again.
"There is remorse, evident in relation to the apology given to Mr Jined. This is an appalling breach of the friendship that existed between the pair of them before this night.
"Mr Tesfamariam has been in this country for five years. There is a difficult background in Eritrea. He has a lack of support in the United Kingdom.
"The defendant instructs that he was on a five-year working visa. That will have expired since his remand into custody. He desperately wants to explore avenues of remaining in this country.
"The defendant really needs to find a purpose in life. This offence is rooted in homelessness and excessive alcohol consumption. With support, this defendant can be effectively rehabilitated.
"The defendant has been on remand for 190 days. That has been his first time in a custodial environment. All he wants is to leave. If he can reconcile with his family in Manchester, obtain work in the construction industry – as he has experience in that in this country over the previous years – and obtain support, he can abstain from alcohol use."
Tesfamariam, who was assisted in court by an interpreter, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm. Appearing in the dock wearing a grey prison issue tracksuit, he was jailed for two-and-a-half years and handed a 10-year restraining order.
Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: "He was happy to have you in his house. You punched him to the face and then, more seriously still, picked up objects from the flat and threw them at his head.
"He immediately started to bleed from the wound to his head. He was forced to beg you to stop this assault from continuing. As a result of some minor argument in the past, you told him you wanted to hurt him.
"It was found that he had suffered a fractured skull and a bleed on his brain. These are very serious injuries and can result in long term injury or, even worse, death.
"Fortunately, he has recovered – at least physically – from his injuries. That is only part of the damage you inflicted on Mr Jined on this day. This assault has had a large impact on his mental health.
"You used more than one object to inflict injury on Mr Jined, causing a grave injury. You were in drink when you assaulted Mr Jined. You have a previous conviction for assault from last year. This offence marks a serious escalation in the level of violence you are prepared to use.
"I accept that you are now sorry for what you did to Mr Jined. While you say you do not wish to consume alcohol again, you still have no insight as to why it was that you seriously assaulted your friend."
