'Cowardly' man snared by officers at Manchester Airport after machete attack is jailed

A man who attacked a 16-year-old boy with a machete in Rochdale has been jailed for five years and four months after he was caught trying to flee the country from Manchester airport.

Police were called to an incident on Sheriff Street, Rochdale on the afternoon of Thursday, June 9, 2022.

It was quickly established that a teenager had been stabbed and was left with serious and possibly life-changing injuries to his shoulder.

Sayam Ali had arrived at the location in a vehicle before he ran towards the victim and struck him to the shoulder with the machete.

The victim suffered immediate external and internal bleeding and received emergency treatment by paramedics on the pavement before being taken to hospital.

Sayam Ali (aged 18) of Upper Hayes Close, Rochdale, was quickly identified as a suspect after enquiries from Rochdale CID and a manhunt was launched to discover his whereabouts.

Ali was arrested at Manchester Airport on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, as he attempted to flee the country by boarding a plane to Malta.

He had with him four large suitcases.

During his police interview, Ali failed to answer any questions and was subsequently charged and remanded in custody before an appearance at Manchester Magistrates Court on July 1, 2022.

On September 22, 2022, Ali was sentenced to five years, four months imprisonment after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to Section 18 assault and possession of an offensive weapon.

Detective Constable Russell Clarke of GMP’s Rochdale CID, said: "The attack was frenzied and Ali displayed a complete disregard for human life.

“Sayam Ali is somebody that advertised himself online as ‘armed and dangerous’ and whilst committing this act he made no attempt to conceal his identity.  

“He subsequently tried to evade the police before we were able to arrest him at Manchester Airport as he cowardly attempted to flee the country.

“We are committed to doing everything possible to ensure those responsible for such acts, are brought to justice and taken off the streets.

“Whilst the defendant is now in prison, the young victim of this attack continues, what is likely to be, a long and difficult recovery.

“The full gravity and impact on the victim and also his family cannot be measured, but I am hopeful that they can find some form of normality in the weeks and months to come.”  

"I would also like to directly appeal to those carrying weapons to surrender them, anonymously, in our Forever Amnesty bins which are located at 13 police stations across Greater Manchester.

"Each knife deposited goes toward making our communities a safer place for everyone.”

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