Man suffers multiple stab wounds in Birmingham pub attack

A 20-year-old man is in a life-threatening condition after he was stabbed repeatedly in his chest and stomach at a Birmingham pub, the latest in a series of violent crimes in the city.

He was attacked at the Kerryman pub in Digbeth, near the city centre, at about 1.30am on Saturday, West Midlands police said. Officers were viewing CCTV footage and investigating in the local area, but no arrests have been made and no weapon has been recovered.

Supt Sally Holmes said the incident was not connected to the Pride celebrations taking place in Birmingham this weekend. “We’re working hard to establish the circumstances around the stabbing and the scene is currently closed while forensic examination is carried out,” she said.

“With this being a busy area, we believe there will be a number of people who may have vital information to assist our inquiries. I would urge anyone who hasn’t spoken to officers to contact us.”

The attack came as local media reported that Birmingham was “in the grip of a terrifying crimewave”, which included three murders in a single week as well as several shootings and stabbings.

On Tuesday, Taimoor Zaheer, 22, was shot dead as he sat in a car Handsworth, north-west Birmingham. Anib Khan, 23, was arrested by Kent police as he tried to board a ferry in Dover later that night.

Zaheer’s killing came five days after Ozell Pemberton, 16, was killed by a stab wound to the chest outside a McDonald’s in Lower Parade, Sutton Coldfield. Four teenagers have been arrested in connection with his murder.

Two days earlier, Abdul Rahman, 24, was shot dead at a street barbecue on Stratford Place in Highgate, close to Birmingham city centre. Thousands turned up for Rahman’s funeral on Thursday, but no arrests have been made.

Birmingham’s surge in violent crime – which has been replicated in cities around the UK, particularly London – has spurred the West Midlands police and crime commissioner, David Jamieson, to invest an extra £2m in preventative measures, including mentoring schemes for young people and mediators to defuse violence.

Alex Murray, assistant chief constable, said: “There is no place in society for such despicable acts and we are committed to doing all we can to take knives and guns off the streets to keep our communities safe.

“We are involved in a number of initiatives involving local authorities and support groups to steer young people away from crime and gang affiliation by getting them into education, training or work.

“But we also need the help of our communities in tackling these issues and need them to tell us any information they have. It could be the difference between a life being lost or someone being charged.”