Man charged with attempted murder after two men injured in stabbings

A man has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after two people were stabbed in Long Ditton, Surbiton, Surrey Police said.

Two men are in a serious but stable condition after the attack at the Crowne Plaza Hotel – a hotel housing Afghan refugees – and outside a BMW garage next door in Portsmouth Road at about 1.45pm on Sunday.

Sher Wali, 48, of Portsmouth Road, Long Ditton, has also been charged with having a bladed article.

He will next appear in court at Guildford Crown Court on August 10.

Elmbridge borough commander, Inspector Bert Dean, said: “We are working with our partner agencies, including Elmbridge Borough Council, Surrey County Council, the NHS, local schools and the staff at the hotel, to support those most impacted by the incident.

“We appreciate that the heightened emergency services presence and the nature of the incident may have caused distress to the local community and officers will also be out and about in the local area over the coming days to answer any questions and listen to any concerns people may have.

“The investigation itself remains ongoing and we are appealing for anyone who has any information which could assist our enquiries to contact us.”

Mark Knight, 41, who lives in Long Ditton, told the PA news agency shortly after the stabbing: “I saw someone in handcuffs coming out.

“There was another guy that came out with a bandage around his head and his bicep.

“They put him in an ambulance.”