Knifeman is jailed over ‘kill’ rant in the street

Mohammed Elyimlahi who was heard saying “If I have to kill somebody, I will do”, was stopping people in the street and accusing a neighbour of being racist.

A judge at Preston Crown Court gave him a nine-month prison sentence and described his behaviour as “appalling”.

The 36-year-old of St David’s Road South, St Annes, had pleaded guilty to offences of affray and having an offensive weapon over the events last August.

John Woodward, prosecuting, said a woman neighbour had heard loud noises coming from the flat where the defendant lived.

The woman went on to challenge him about his behaviour and he swore at her. Forty five minutes later she noticed some rubbish strewn all over her garden.

Elyimlahi was hanging out of his window and saying “I’m going to make your life hell”.

He was there around 15 minutes, ranting and repeating himself.

A few minutes later she noticed he had gone across the road. He was stopping people in the street and accusing her of being a racist.

He had knives in both hands.

The woman called police, very concerned about his behaviour after he said: “If I have to kill somebody, I will do”.

At one point a male passerby took him into his home.

When a police officer went to his home, the defendant claimed the neighbour was a racist.

He said: “You are doing this because I am an Arab. If I was white and called Smith, this wouldn’t be happening”.

Two knives were found that were about six inches long.

Tom Lord, defending, said Elyimlahi had spent five months on remand in custody, the equivalent of a 10 months sentence.

During that time he had done some considerable “introspection and reflection”.

“It was the use of a cocktail of drugs that was the catalyst for his behaviour that day.

“He held the knives up towards the sky for a brief period. They were never really aimed at anybody.

“It is not the case where he has been aiming at someone and making direct threats”.

Mr Lord said the incident had not been planned.

Elyimlahi had been “shouting his mouth off” towards his neighbour.

He had been living in the substance abuse unit in prison and had stopped taking drugs.

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