Osarenkhoe Atutie – Edinburgh

Horror on Edinburgh Street as Child Cries “Daddy, Daddy” Moments Before Frenzied Knife Attack

A mother was left fighting for her life after her estranged husband launched a brutal knife attack in broad daylight on an Edinburgh street – moments after their young daughter innocently cried, “Daddy, daddy.”

Osarenkhoe Atutie, 26, has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years after admitting the attempted murder of his estranged wife, Victory Atutie, during the terrifying attack on Duke Street in Leith last November.

The High Court heard that Victory, 30, was pushing her daughter in a pram to a GP appointment when the child spotted her father and excitedly shouted, “Daddy, daddy.” Instead of a family reunion, the encounter turned into a nightmare.

As soon as Victory saw Atutie, she panicked. He told her he was carrying a knife and ordered her to follow him before grabbing her by the hair and repeatedly stabbing her in the head and body in front of their horrified child.

The savage assault left Victory with 12 separate injuries, including facial scarring and a collapsed lung. She survived only because three courageous members of the public rushed to her aid, disarmed the attacker and held him until police arrived.

Sentencing Atutie, Lord Cubie described the assault as a sustained attack on a defenceless victim and said she could easily have died were it not for the bravery of passing strangers. He also imposed a lifetime ban preventing Atutie from contacting Victory.

The court heard the couple had married in Nigeria before moving to London, where their daughter was born. After the relationship broke down, Victory moved to Edinburgh with the child, but Atutie tracked them down before carrying out the attack.

Victory spent four days in hospital recovering from her injuries.

After his arrest, Atutie told police: “I am sorry things have got like this.”

His defence lawyer said Atutie had been struggling with his mental health at the time but accepted that nothing could justify his actions.

Police Scotland praised the three members of the public whose quick thinking almost certainly saved Victory’s life, saying there was a high chance she would not have survived without their intervention.

Atutie was originally sentenced to 10 years, but the term was reduced to seven-and-a-half years because of his guilty plea. He will also remain under supervision for 18 months after his release.