East London Stabbing Victim Feels No Closer to Justice

“It doesn’t feel like we’re any closer to having justice or an answer,” stated Tom Savage, who was stabbed 20 times in east London. He hopes the Metropolitan Police will apprehend the individual responsible for the attack, which occurred on the evening of August 19. The 36-year-old was walking his dog in Mirabelle Gardens, Stratford, when he was assaulted, sustaining life-altering injuries that have impacted his ability to walk and his vision. The Metropolitan Police informed the Local Democracy Reporting Service that they are continuing their investigation into the “horrific assault”. Mr. Savage also lost his complete sense of taste and smell and experienced a loss of feeling in parts of his body as a consequence of what has been described as the “unprovoked” attack. He recounted that after finishing his walk through Mirabelle Gardens, he observed a man in the distance approaching from the bottom of the park. Before he realized it, the man was “right in front of [his] face” and rapidly advancing towards him, kicking the gravel-covered ground in his direction, Mr. Savage said. He stated that the man asked if he lived in the area, and upon his answer, the man declared: “I don’t like you very much.” The assailant then lifted his shirt, and Mr. Savage saw “what looked like the handle end of a screwdriver”. Mr. Savage said: “I can only imagine it was a sharpened blade essentially like a blunt instrument.“I was quite lucky it wasn’t a knife really, I’m pretty sure that’s what it was but I never saw the full thing.”I knew as soon as I saw him lift his shirt up and saw it, I knew exactly what was coming because he looked angry – he didn’t really blink at all and from what I could see in the 10 seconds we were talking if that, I knew I was in trouble.” Mr. Savage reported that he ran towards the nearest road and sent his dog running in the opposite direction. “I didn’t get very far before this guy knocked me over,” Mr. Savage said. “I felt a smack in the back of my head and from that point on I don’t remember feeling any pain from the whole thing – I felt numb.” He continued, “I managed to shout for help a couple of times, but then the next thing I know he threw me on the floor – I lost all feeling from my chest down and I think that’s probably when he stabbed me in the spine.” He concluded, “That was the point where it was over for me. “I was laying on my side and at that point I couldn’t really move.” Mr. Savage’s last memory was of paramedics cutting his jeans off in an ambulance before he later awoke in a hospital trauma unit. He is currently continuing his recovery at home, focusing on gaining weight and building muscle after losing two stone during his hospital stay. Doctors have informed Mr. Savage that his recovery from the injuries could take up to two years, with uncertainty regarding which injuries will heal completely and which will persist. “My goals short-term are just to be able to walk outside for longer and eventually be able to walk the dog again before Christmas,” he said. Mr. Savage was told by those who assisted him that his attacker returned to the scene to retrieve his beanie hat before disappearing. Mr. Savage’s jacket and shirt, along with his keys, were discovered approximately one mile from the location where he was attacked. The Met Police stated it was “examining every avenue of opportunity” to find those responsible. However, the knowledge that his attacker remains at large has left Mr. Savage afraid to go outside on his own. He said: “I’m quite anxious, it doesn’t feel like we’re any closer to having justice or an answer.” Nate Higgins, Green Party councillor for Stratford Olympic Park, expressed that he was “devastated” by the attack on Mr. Savage and had “been in regular contact” to offer support. Uma Kumaran, Labour MP for Stratford and Bow, commented: “Everyone should be able to feel safe and be safe near their homes, and I know that the whole community in East Village is still reeling from the shocking nature of this attack and the fact the attacker remains at large and unpunished.”