Manchester Arndale attacker stabbed shoppers at random, court hears

Raphael Chevelleau admitted three counts of wounding with intent and two counts of attempted wounding

A knife-wielding assailant caused "widespread panic" in Manchester's Arndale shopping centre when he stabbed five people at random, a court heard.

Raphael Chevelleau, 43, injured three people and attempted to hurt two others as he dashed through the mall in October 2019.

A court heard shoppers ran for their lives and dived for cover.

Chevelleau previously pleaded guilty to three counts of wounding with intent and two counts of attempted wounding.

He is due to be sentenced on Monday.

Manchester Crown Court heard he bought a kitchen knife from a shop near his flat in Rochdale Road, Blackley, on the morning of 11 October 2019.

Prosecutor Andrew Ford said Chevelleau caught a bus into the city at about 11:05 GMT and entered the Arndale where he unwrapped the knife packaging.

"With no warning he broke into a run, wielding the knife and randomly stabbed five members of the public," he said.

"He caused widespread fear and panic among the general public visiting the Arndale centre that day and a sense of pandemonium as people fled."

The attacks happened at the Arndale shopping centre on a busy Friday morning

The court heard Chevelleau's first victim was a 61-year-old engineer, who he stabbed in the back.

He then swiftly moved on to a 35-year-old woman who was walking with her husband in the shopping centre.

The court heard he ran past them before he returned and swung the knife towards her stomach and grazed her.

Chevelleau next targeted a 45-year-old woman pushing her baby in a pram, who had a lucky escape as the knife came close to her ribs, the court heard.

'Running for their lives'

A 21-year-old woman from Ireland who was sat outside a cafe was then attacked when Chevelleau grabbed her and stabbed her right shoulder and right bicep.

She told the court that people were shouting "everybody run" as the defendant was chased by a security guard.

Chevelleau attacked his final victim, a 52-year-old female department store worker, as he ran out of the Arndale.

She said she joined others "running for their lives" and felt an impact on her left arm and back as she grabbed a railing on steps.

Mr Ford said only the layers of her clothing, including a bubble coat, meant she was not more seriously wounded.

The area around the shopping centre was cordoned off after Chevelleau's attacks

The court heard Chevelleau dumped the knife in a bin on the street after his violent spree, which lasted just one minute and 27 seconds.

Following his arrest at the scene he told officers in custody: "I was going to stab my ex-girlfriend but I couldn't be bothered to travel there so I took it out on someone in town.

"I'm guilty as sin. I should have done a bank instead."

Mr Ford said a number of uninjured eyewitnesses were "very badly affected" by the incident, as they suffered shock, stress, confusion and anger.

Chevelleau suffers from a schizophrenic illness which has been resistant to treatment, the court heard.

He was admitted to hospital in 2006 for a psychiatric illness, while his mother said he was diagnosed in prison with schizophrenia when he was 21.

Chevelleau has 56 previous convictions dating back to 1998, but had not offended since 2007 and had not been subject to orders under the Mental Health Act from 2011.

Consultant forensic psychiatrist Martin Lock told the court he thought it was "highly unlikely" Chevelleau would have committed the offences if he had not been suffering from schizophrenia.

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