Pair jailed for ‘brutal and senseless’ stabbing in Cambridge

Two men have been jailed following a stabbing, described by a detective as a “brutal and senseless attack over drugs”.

A 54-year-old man told 999 he was struggling to breathe after being stabbed twice in the chest in Nicholson Way, Cambridge on 2 October 2024.

Shellem Miah and Maruf Riaz, both 25, were found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm and possession of a knife at Cambridge Crown Court.

Police said Miah, of Kingsway in Cambridge, was jailed for 28 years and six months on Monday, while Riaz, of no fixed address, received 19 years and six months.

Cambridgeshire Police said the pair fled in a car with fake number plates after the incident, while the victim was treated in hospital for stab wounds to the heart and sternum.

The force said Miah had been running a county lines drug operation and had exchanged messages with the victim prior to the stabbing.

Following the attack, he messaged contacts about needing a new number for the line and somewhere to stay, including: “Hella feds everywhere but I don’t think they think it’s me yet”.

Miah was also found guilty of possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin following a five-week trial earlier in the year, while Riaz was convicted of perverting the course of justice, police said.

They were both found not guilty of attempted murder.

Det Con Charlotte Anderson-Chapman said: “This was a brutal and senseless attack over drugs that left a man fighting for his life.

“The level of violence used was shocking, and the sentences reflect the seriousness of their actions.”