Home Office stabbing: Dominic Hornberger charged with grievous bodily harm after civil servant slashed with knife

Suspect, from Birmingham, accused of grievous bodily harm with intent

A man has been charged with stabbing a civil servant outside the Home Office.

Dominic Hornberger, from Birmingham, is accused of grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a knife in a public place.

The 29-year-old appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday and was remanded in custody ahead of his next hearing on 13 September.

Police were called to Marsham Street, Westminster, following a report of a man with a knife on Thursday afternoon.

They arrived to find a man in his 60s suffering knife injuries, which police said were not life-changing.

Witnesses said the suspect had a long knife and a pet carrier that contained a ferret, which was taken into police care.

The victim works at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which is also based at 2 Marsham Street.

Armed police attended and cordoned off the building, where officials are reviewing security.

The attack came amid controversy over the Home Office's “knife free” campaign, which is using chicken boxes in an attempt to stop young people carrying weapons.

Violent crime has been rising nationwide since 2014, with drivers partly blamed on government budget cuts to policing, social services and preventative work.

Boris Johnson has pledged to increase the number of police officers by 20,000 and increase blanket stop and search as part of a raft of policy announcements on crime and justice.

The Home Office tasked with implementing the changes, as the department in charge of security, law and order in the UK.