A Nigerian man who hunted down his estranged wife before launching a savage knife attack in front of their young daughter has been jailed for seven-and-a-half-years.
Osarenkhoe Atutie, 26, repeatedly stabbed Victory Atutie, 30, as she pushed their daughter in a pram along Duke Street in Leith, Edinburgh, on 11 November 2025. The horrific attack left her fighting for her life with a collapsed lung, permanent facial scarring and multiple stab wounds.
The High Court heard that only the courageous intervention of three members of the public prevented the attack from ending in murder.
Judge Lord Cubie told Atutie: “She could have died. It was plainly through a combination of luck and the intervention of passers by that she survived.”
He praised the brave bystanders who disarmed the attacker and held him until Police Scotland officers arrived, saying they deserved to be commended for their actions.
Atutie admitted attempted murder and was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow to an extended prison sentence of seven and a half years, together with 18 months of supervision after his release. He was also made subject to a lifelong non harassment order banning him from contacting his former wife.
The court heard the couple married in Nigeria about four years before the attack before moving to London, where their daughter was born. Following the breakdown of their marriage, Victory moved to Edinburgh with the child in an effort to rebuild her life.
However, prosecutors said Atutie tracked them down, something Lord Cubie described as showing “a degree of foresight” before the attack.
On the morning of the assault, Victory was walking to a GP appointment with her daughter when the little girl suddenly spotted her father and shouted, “Daddy, daddy.”
Instead of a family reunion, the encounter descended into terror.
The court heard Victory immediately panicked after seeing her estranged husband. Atutie reportedly told her he had a knife and ordered her to follow him before grabbing her by the hair and launching a frenzied attack.
He repeatedly stabbed her in the head and body and continued the assault even after she fell to the ground, while making repeated threats of violence.
Victory suffered 12 separate injuries, including life threatening wounds, a collapsed lung and permanent disfigurement. She spent four days in hospital recovering from her injuries.
After his arrest, Atutie told police: “I am sorry things have got like this.”
Defence advocate Jonny Campbell said his client accepted that, but for the intervention of members of the public, the consequences would likely have been fatal. He also said Atutie had been struggling with his mental health at the time, although the court made clear this did not excuse the violence.
Lord Cubie said the attack had fundamentally changed the victim’s life.
He said her daily life, sense of security and overall wellbeing had been deeply affected by what he described as a sustained attack on a defenceless victim.
The judge also noted the remarkable empathy shown by Victory in her victim impact statement despite the devastating injuries she suffered.
Detective Sergeant Craig McMillan thanked the three members of the public who intervened, saying their actions almost certainly saved the victim’s life.
“Without their intervention and assistance, there is a high chance that the victim would not have survived the attack,” he said.
He added that tackling violence against women and girls remains one of Police Scotland’s highest priorities.
Atutie’s sentence was reduced from 10 years after he entered an early guilty plea. He will remain on licence for 18 months after his release and is permanently banned from contacting his former wife.
