Overview
- Richard Sivanda, 23, received a 27-year sentence at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday after a jury conviction for attempted murder.
- Police say he targeted a 20-year-old stranger on Highgate Hill in February 2025 after mistaking him for a rival gang member linked to a 2021 killing, a claim with no supporting evidence.
- The victim was stabbed in the head while walking with his girlfriend near Highgate Tube and now lives in assisted care due to lasting brain damage.
- He had pleaded guilty to assault with intent to cause serious harm, and a Snaresbrook Crown Court jury then found him guilty of attempted murder on January 14, 2026.
- The Met says the conviction supports its push to reduce knife violence, citing a five-year 29 percent fall in hospitalisations after stabbings.