Chatham knife attacker jailed for 23 years

An unprovoked assault with a knife in Chatham has resulted in a man being jailed for attempted murder.

Ray Chirisa has been sentenced to 23 years in prison with a further five years on licence following the incident in The Brook on 28 October 2024.

At around 8pm that evening, Chirisa approached a man he did not know and, following a brief conversation, stabbed him multiple times.

The victim fell to the ground and the assault continued until the victim, who had sought to deflect the knife using his arms, fled to the safety of a nearby shop.

Officers attended the area where they promptly arrested Chirisa. Subsequent CCTV enquiries led investigators to recover a knife with a 16cm blade from a bin in the town centre.

Chirisa, of Hermitage Lane, Maidstone was later charged with attempted murder and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

The 34-year-old denied the charges during a trial and was found guilty on both counts. Chirisa was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday 15 May 2026.

'Horrific'

Detective Constable Lauren Mewett said:

‘This horrific crime was unprovoked and directed towards a person Chirisa had never met. He is an extremely violent individual who poses an evident threat to the wider public. We are pleased to see him put behind bars. ‘I would like to thank members of the public at the time who assisted with our enquiries and enabled us to rapidly get a clear picture of the incident and recover the knife.’