Peterborough Man Jailed Over Brutal City Centre Attack and Drug Dealing
Brick Attack Leaves Man Fighting for Life
Mahmoud Shrara, 21, was caught over a vicious assault in Peterborough city centre in September 2018. Just after midnight on 2 September, a 38-year-old man and his friend were walking near Broadway when Shrara and two others struck up a chat. Suddenly, a row broke out.
Without warning, Shrara smashed a brick over the victim’s head. The victim’s mate was hit with what’s believed to be a belt. The main victim collapsed unconscious, with a fractured skull and serious brain injuries. Shaken passers-by tended to him until paramedics rushed him to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, where he underwent emergency surgery and was placed in an induced coma for over a week.
The second man escaped with minor injuries.
Behind Bars After Cutting Drug Deal Escape
Police initially arrested a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old for the attack, but no charges stuck. Shrara stayed under the radar—until 15 September, when CCTV caught him near O’Neill’s bar in Broadway. He was arrested carrying a lock knife and class A drugs.
After brief police custody, he was charged in 2019 with assault causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, knife possession, and cocaine possession. Shrara denied all charges and was bailed.
But trouble wasn’t over.
On 3 October, police nabbed Shrara in Millfield amidst a suspected drug deal. As cops drew near, he fled, dumping a stash containing 33 wraps of crack cocaine and 11 wraps of heroin, worth roughly £10 each. Officers caught him with £250 cash and two mobiles. He was promptly arrested for drug dealing.
Guilty Pleas and Long Prison Sentence
Shrara faced charges of possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine. He again denied the drug allegations but later changed his plea on the assault, admitting to a lesser GBH charge without intent, plus possession of an offensive weapon, assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH), and affray.
After a three-day trial, Shrara was convicted on two drug charges. On 27 November at Cambridge Crown Court, he was handed a hefty sentence of four years and three months behind bars.
DC Robin Gray said: “Shrara is clearly a dangerous individual who has got himself involved in serious criminality at a young age. Even though he may not have intended to cause serious harm to his victim, this could have been a very different story had he not made the recovery that he did.”
