Cardiff man jailed for 10 years after stabbing victim in parked car

A 20-year-old man who carried out a brutal knife attack on a defenceless victim sitting in the back of a car in Cardiff has been jailed for ten years.

Abdul Ali, of Salisbury Road, Cardiff, was convicted of Section 18 wounding with intent after a jury found him guilty of stabbing a 34-year-old man in the neck and stomach during an unprovoked assault earlier this year.

The incident took place shortly before midnight on February 25, 2025, when Ali was sitting in the front seat of a parked car on Salisbury Road.

When the victim entered the back seat, Ali got out, ran around the vehicle, and opened the rear driver-side door before lunging at the man with a knife.

Trapped

The victim, who was unarmed and trapped in the car, managed to escape despite suffering serious injuries.

Another passenger intervened and restrained Ali before a violent scuffle broke out between several men.

Ali fled the scene and ran into a nearby fast-food restaurant, where he locked himself in the toilet in an attempt to hide from police. Officers quickly arrived and arrested him at the scene.

Detectives used CCTV footage from the street and nearby premises to identify Ali as the attacker. The footage showed him running around the vehicle and striking his victim without warning.

The 34-year-old victim was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and underwent urgent surgery.

Ali denied the charge of wounding with intent, claiming he did not mean to cause serious harm, but the jury rejected his account after reviewing the evidence, including the CCTV footage and witness statements.

He was sentenced to ten years in prison at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday, September 21.

‘Vicious’

Detective Constable Anthony Hurley, who led the investigation, condemned the attack as “vicious and senseless.”

“This was a brutal assault which could easily have been fatal,” he said. “Had it not been for the quick and brave intervention of another man known to both the victim and the defendant, the outcome could have been far worse.

“Tackling knife crime is a top priority for us and our partners. Violence of this kind can never be normalised in our capital city. Anyone caught carrying or using a knife should expect to spend a long time behind bars.”