Ibrahim Albashir, a Sudanese asylum seeker diagnosed with catatonic schizophrenia, was sentenced after attempting to murder a woman in Leeds in March 2024, attacking her with a broken bottle and slashing her about 30 times. The case has prompted criticism from campaigners and opposition MPs, who say failures across immigration, policing and mental-health systems left him free despite earlier warning signs.

Albashir had reportedly been refused asylum in France after time in a mental hospital, then crossed the Channel and was housed in Home Office-provided accommodation in Birmingham. Before the attack, he was arrested over an alleged sexual assault, later encountered by police twice in Leeds within three days, and taken to hospital after reports of indecent exposure; authorities said his asylum claim was ongoing and no outstanding warrant appeared on police checks. He pleaded guilty to attempted murder in March and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.