08-05-2025
Thug who sliced open a stranger's stomach with a 10-inch zombie knife at Notting Hill Carnival is found guilty of attempted murder
A thug who attacked a stranger with a 10-inch 'zombie knife' at Notting Hill Carnival, leaving his intestines 'hanging out', has been found guilty of attempted murder.
Kamani Spooner, then aged 18, was stabbed by Rumarni Tuitt, 19, with the giant blade on August 26 last year in Canal Way, west London, just before 8pm.
In a witness statement for the police, Mr Spooner said he spent much of the day drinking with his friends and enjoying the carnival before the horrific assault unfolded.
'Towards the end of the day of carnival, he [Mr Spooner] could hear shouting coming from somewhere and he realised he was somehow in the middle of it,' prosecutor Mark Paltenghi told jurors.
'He then saw people fighting around him - three of them were quite close, they were throwing punches.
'He then recalls being hit in the back and upon looking at his arm, saw it had been cut, then looked down and saw that his intestines were hanging out. He put his hand over them and just ran.
'He cannot cast any light on why it was he would have been attacked.'
Mr Tuitt, from Walthamstow, east London, also stabbed Mr Spooner four more times to the side and the back and caused a laceration to his right forearm.
Officers arrested Mr Tuitt immediately after the attack and were able to provide vital medical treatment to his victim until paramedics could reach them.
Despite having his stomach sliced open, Mr Spooner miraculously survived his injuries thanks to life saving surgery.
The zombie-style knife used, described by police as 'at least 10 inches in length', was recovered from the scene.
'Zombie-style' is the street name given to weapons which are over 8 inches in length and often have a serrated edge, spikes or more than 2 sharp points.
On September 24, 2024 zombie-style knives and machetes were added to the list of prohibited weapons in the Criminal Justice Act 1988 as part of a government crackdown aiming to halve knife crime in a decade.
Jurors found Mr Tuitt guilty of attempted murder on Thursday May 8 after a trial at the Old Bailey.
The court previously heard that he and Mr Spooner did not know each other.
Mr Tuitt said that he was acting in self defence, the prosecutor said, but the jury rejected his claim.
There was also no evidence that Mr Tuitt harboured any particular grievance against Mr Spooner, the court heard.
Tuitt will be sentenced on June 27 for attempted murder and for possessing a knife, a charge he earlier admitted.
Acting Detective Inspector Sophie McLoughlin, who led the investigation, said: 'This was a savage and senseless attack. The victim was very lucky to survive his injuries.
'Hundreds of thousands of people, including the victim in this case, go to Carnival to have a good time and enjoy the music and entertainment.
'Those who would choose to turn up armed with a 10 inch zombie knife clearly have no such intentions.
'It is thanks to the vigilance of officers on duty that day and the hard work of my team in the months since that we were able to build the case that saw Tuitt convicted at court.
'It is also thanks to officers' immediate medical intervention at the scene, as well as the specialist further care by paramedics, that we're talking about a conviction for attempted murder and not worse.
'I hope the victim can now move forward and begin to put this experience behind him.'
Last month a thug who brutally stabbed a mother to death in front of her young daughter - also with a zombie knife - at the Notting Hill Carnival the day before Mr Tuitt's attack on Mr Spooner was found guilty of her murder.
Innocent bystander Cher Maximen, 32, was stabbed to death with one of the illegal weapons when caught up in gang violence during the world-famous event which attracts crowds of 1million people across the August bank holiday in west London each year.
The killer Shakeil Thibou, 20, had been attempting to target a man called Adjei Isaac when the nightmare unfolded on August 25 last year.
Mr Isaac managed to dodge the enormous blade as Thibou repeatedly tried to knife him in the stomach.
But during the chaotic scenes, model Ms Maximen was knocked to the floor - and as she struggled to her feet, Thibou raised his knife and deliberately stabbed her in the groin.
Ms Maximen, who also worked as a clothing designer, died six days later from her injuries on August 31 - having been attacked in front of her three-year-old daughter.
Thibou claimed he was trying to defend himself from Mr Isaac and said he stabbed Ms Maximen by mistake but the jury convicted him of murder, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to Mr Isaac and having an offensive weapon, namely a knife.
