London Evening Standard/London
A knifeman dubbed the Hounslow Slasher has been jailed for 18 years for horrific random knife attacks on women walking home at night.
In what was described as “every woman’s nightmare”, Shasha Masamba sliced open the neck and chin of one of his two victims from behind.
He lurked in the shadows and stalked his prey as they walked for the Tube or train home last August.
Police are baffled about his motives but it was revealed that he lost his job and was dumped by his girlfriend just hours before the first attack.
He wrote on his Facebook page: “I want to bite your ears off, pluck your eyes with chopsticks, cut your limbs with a breadknife and feed you to sewer rats.”
Both victims — attacked while possibly distracted by headphones — have been left with permanent scarring.
Recorder of London Brian Barker, QC, imposed an extended sentence on Zimbabwe-born Masamba, 21 — who he told the Old Bailey had created “widespread fear” — because he posed a significant danger to the public.
Masamba denied any involvement in the attack until the day his trial was due to start, when he pleaded guilty to two charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
He heard prosecutor Bobbie Cheema, QC, tell the court: “Masamba is every woman’s nightmare. He armed himself with a knife and prowled around in public places late at night waiting for a lone female to attack. On two occasions 10 days apart in August last year he targeted, followed and assaulted a single woman innocently walking home. He went up to each of the two victims, used the knife to slash them across the throat from behind and left them both bleeding to make his escape.”
Masamba was only caught four days after the second attack when rookie constable Rachel Skinner recognised him from CCTV at Hounslow train station. The first victim was Polish student Kaja Zablocka, 19, who had been with friends on a night out in the West End and caught the train back to Hounslow.
She was grabbed from behind and her throat sliced with a deep cut to her neck which required seven stitches.
The second victim 10 days later was 26-year-old Filipino Deserilyn Aurelio, who had taken the Tube to Hounslow East from her job as a waitress in Bayswater. Masamba cut her chin with a knife she described as having a 15in blade. He tried to stab her twice in the stomach but she escaped to a cab.
