Five men sentenced after student accommodation violent disorder left man stabbed
Five men have been sentenced after an incident of violent disorder in 2022 resulted in a student being seriously injured.
On the evening of Thursday 20 January, a group of students were gathered in the common room of the student accommodation building in Nixon Court, Leicester.
The room was filled with young men and women who were meeting prior to attending a pre-planned event at a bar in the city.
Shortly before 11.30pm, six men entered the room. The men with their faces covered and hoods up immediately approached two men and began attacking them.
Punches were thrown as the two men attempted to escape and bystanders tried to move out of the way.
CCTV showed one man armed with a knife which he produced from his waistband, and a second man had entered the room wielding a hammer.
Minutes later, the men ran from the building and made their getaway in two cars waiting nearby.
During the fighting, a 20-year-old man, who was standing nearby sustained a single stab wound to his stomach.
His friends came to his immediate help putting pressure on the wound and calling the emergency services.
The victim was taken to hospital where he received emergency surgery to his wounded abdomen.
Officers attended the incident, but the suspects had fled the scene.
In the investigation that followed, detectives uncovered a raft of evidence placing the convicted men at the scene and their involvement.
Firstly, the incident was captured on an internal CCTV which showed the entirety of the disorder. CCTV cameras also showed the group arriving on foot and running off moments after.
Despite their attempts to shield their identities, detectives were able to trace the six men back to the two cars and forensically through discarded face masks and fingerprints place them having travelled within them.
Extensive CCTV trawls, ANPR and phone data also tracked the movements of six defendants before and after the incident. Three of the men – Kang, Alwinus and Muhamed - were even traced attending the same pre-planned event that the gathered students were intended on going to.
Names were provided to police of several of the suspects which only supported the case mounting against them.
Significant evidence resulted in charges against the six men.
Those charged were:
Netharsan Berinbarasah, 27, of Southwold Spur, Slough
Abarnan Alwinus, 23, of Botwell Lane, Hayes, Hillingdon
Ali Usman Muhamed, 24, of Magnolia Gardens, Oldham
Nazir Mohammed, 27, of Meadow Road, Slough
Varan Kang, 24, of Hanover Circle, Hayes
Waqas Malik, 27, of Dedworth Road, Windsor
The men, with the exception of Malik, pleaded guilty on Monday 13 April this year to violent disorder.
Kang also pleaded guilty to an offence of possession of an offensive weapon as he was found to be the man on the CCTV in possession of the hammer.
Malik chose to stand trial and was found guilty by a jury on Friday 24 April.
He was found guilty of section 18 grievous harm as he was found to be the man on CCTV who stabbed the victim and one count of possession of a knife blade/sharp pointed article in a public place. He was found not guilty of violent disorder.
At Leicester Crown Court today (Friday 9 October), five of the men were sentenced as follows:
Waqas Malik was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison
Netharsan Berinbarasah was sentenced to 21 months in prison
Ali Usman Muhamed was sentenced to 16 months in prison
Nazir Mohammed was sentenced to 18 months in prison
Varan Kang was sentenced to 18 months in prison
Abarnan Alwinus is due to be sentenced on Thursday 22 October.
Detective Constable Richard Van de Velde, who was the investigating officer, remained committed to bringing the case to court more than four years on.
He said: “This has been long and complex investigation over the past four years in bringing these men before a Judge to face the consequences of that night.
“Clearly premediated, they entered the room, faces covered, hoods up, some armed, but all ready for violence. The motive behind the attack was never fully determined but we do know that two men were the intended targets and a completely innocent young man who was there socialising with many other students was caught up in the melee and was stabbed.
“While he luckily survived a serious stabbing, he is left with a daily reminder not just with a permanent change in his physical health but also still to this day he continues to struggle mentally with the attack.
DC Van de Velde added: “I would like to like to thank all those who assisted us in this case, but it’s important I make a specific mention of three people.
They are two of the victim’s friends who’s quick-thinking in assisting in providing him with first aid and the emergency doctor who was the first medical responder to attend. It is without a doubt that without their help, the ending to this incident could have been very different.
“Sheer perseverance and seeking justice have been the driving force in achieving these convictions and as for the defendants, little can be said other than that their choice to take part in such violence and leave a group of students simply enjoying a social gathering terrorised and distressed has left them with nothing but criminal records for a serious offence as well as prison sentences.”
Leicestershire Police News - Published: 18:08 09/10/2026
