In an act of brutality that left Liverpool reeling, Kabairathan Santhurukanthan, recently released from prison, viciously attacked a disabled man on the very day of his freedom, selfishly admitting that his sickening actions were done just so he could be sent back to jail. Santhurukanthan, 31, confronted a learning-disabled and physically impaired man, Damon Emina, after Emina stood up to him for hurling disgusting racist abuse at a shopkeeper.

Emina, simply heading home after visiting friends, was struck from behind with a bottle of Desperados, before the drunken thug used the broken glass to repeatedly stab at his victim’s face and neck. The attack, described as shocking and sustained,’ left Emina with permanent facial scarring and trauma he’ll carry for life.

Even as Good Samaritans intervened, Santhurukanthan screamed vile threats, and later attacked police, spitting at one officer and racially abusing another. Chillingly, he later admitted to detectives that he’d have killed Emina if he hadn’t been pulled away, revealing a deeply disturbed willingness for violence.

The court heard that he had planned to commit an even more high-profile crime at LiverpoolJohn Lennon Airport, but abandoned it and set upon Emina instead as a shortcut to lock-up. Jailed for more than six years—plus years on licence—Santhurukanthan’s twisted logic for wanting incarceration has left ordinary Liverpudlians questioning why our streets aren’t safe from repeat offenders.

His actions—which the judge branded ‘violent, unpredictable, and fuelled by racism and substance abuse’—are a chilling reminder that victims like Emina suffer every single day from criminals who treat prison like a refuge, not a deterrent. Should the system go harder on those who show no respect for the law or the innocent lives they destroy?