Advertisement

Mark Brazant: Mentally ill man sentenced to life for attempting to murder woman pushing her child in buggy

 (Independent)
(Independent)

Mark Brazant, a mentally ill violent offender who attempted to murder a woman as she pushed her child in a buggy in Streatham, south-west London, has been sentenced to life in prison.

The 44-year-old stabbed mother Josephine Conlon repeatedly in the face and neck as she pushed her young daughter in a pushchair on 30 December last year.

Now in a hearing at the Old Bailey, a judge has handed Brazant a life sentence with a minimum hybrid hospital and custodial term of 11 years.

Brazant had only been released from jail on Christmas Eve when he crossed paths with Ms Conlon and launched the unprovoked attack.

Ms Conlon, 36, had been walking with her child after meeting up with friends at the time of the incident.

In a victim impact statement submitted to the court, she said: "It has been almost nine months since the attack and although I worked really hard to rehabilitate myself, it feels my life is on hold.

"I struggle with large crowds and I am unable to leave my house after dark.

"I am a very positive and social person and I love being busy. Before the attack I used to pack my weekends and evenings full.

"There have been periods where I have been very low... and it took me six months before I could go back to work.

"The physical wounds have been very hard to come to terms with. Having said that, I have been lucky - all I have is a few scars.

"I also feel I failed my daughter for walking her into such a dangerous situation and witnessing the attack on me. It could have been so different."