Trial date set for man accused of asylum hotel stabbing
PA MediaA provisional trial date has been set for a man accused of trying to murder a welfare officer at a hotel housing asylum seekers.
Abdifatah Yusuf Adani allegedly stabbed the staff member five times with a large kitchen knife at the Stanwell Hotel in Surrey last month.
The 22-year-old Somali national appeared at Guildford Crown Court on Thursday, but was not asked to enter a plea.
Armed police were dispatched to the hotel near Heathrow Airport following the incident at around 18:30 BST on 15 August.
Paramedics took the victim, a man in his 30s, to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Police later said he was in a stable condition.
Prosecutor Lucy Lumsden told Staines Magistrates' Court last month that the welfare officer had two knife wounds to the upper body and three to his leg.
Among them was a "significant" injury after the blade penetrated his chest cavity.
The victim "lost a significant amount of blood, was very pale and going in and out of consciousness," she said.
A five-day trial is scheduled to begin on 15 February 2027.
A magistrate previously confirmed Adani had entered the UK illegally via a small boat.
Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, X, and Instagram and listen to BBC Radio Surrey on Sounds. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
