A man has been charged after armed police raided the home of TOWIE star Yazmin Oukhellou following a knife attack in a Mayfair nightclub witnessed by Premier League stars.
Lucci Guthrie, 28, appeared in court this morning charged with the attempted murder of Rhys Copas, 37 – who is the new partner of his ex-girlfriend.
Gurthrie was arrested at the reality TV star’s flat in an armed police raid on Monday night.
It came after violence erupted at the Mistress of Mayfair in the early hours of Monday morning.
Mr Copas suffered an 8cm slash to his neck that exposed his voice box and damaged nerves, and was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.
Premier League stars had gathered at the upmarket nightclub, where bottles of wine can cost upwards of five figures, to celebrate the birthday of Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey.
The celebrations were swiftly brought to a halt as police raced in to shut down the central London hotspot.
The footballer’s 20 guests, including teammate Lamare Bogarde, made a quick exit after the attack took place near the dancefloor.
Yazmin Oukhellou’s house was raided by police following a knife attack at a club in Mayfair
A suspect was seen being led from the block of flats by police, including one armed officer
Aston Villa star Leon Bailey was celebrating his birthday at the nightclub with friends when violence erupted
A source told The Sun that the fun vibe in the club was interrupted when the ‘horrific’ violence started.
They said a man suddenly ‘went down holding his neck’ after a disturbance.
Another source said: ‘It was complete pandemonium. No one knew if this was an isolated incident, or something even more serious.
‘The footballers were totally shaken by this ordeal, and witnessed a bloodbath.’
Guests at the club were reportedly halfway through their £145 lobster dishes and £105 wagyu ribeye steak meals when the attack took place shortly after midnight.
Prosecutor Manisha Kukadia told Hendon Magistrates Court: ‘The complainant has slapped the defendant to the face and the defendant has then slashed his neck, his throat area and his face.
Mr Copas sustained an 8cm deep cut from his left ear to the middle of his throat, as well as two wounds to his cheek, the court heard.
He suffered significant blood loss, his jugular was severed, nerves damaged and his voice box exposed, but he is currently in a stable condition, the prosecution added.
Guthrie appeared in court in a grey prison-issue tracksuit.
The defendant was remanded in custody and will next appear at the Old Bailey on August 14.
The Met Police said officers rushed to the club on St James’s Street in Mayfair along with paramedics.
A ‘fast-time’ investigation into the brutal attack was launched by a proactive team of detectives on the Met’s Central West command.
The Towie star was at her flat in Hertford when armed police arrested a suspect
Lamare Bogarde, was reported to be among the guests at the footballer’s birthday party
After Met officers identified a suspect, they swooped in on the reality TV star’s home, alongside local police in Hertfordshire.
Yazmin was reportedly there when the police raided her flat in Hertford.
A suspect was seen being led from the block of flats by police, including one armed officer.
Police spent more than an hour at the address, which is reportedly across the road from her mother’s home.
A woman believed to be her mother was heard asking if Yazmin was going to be arrested, to which police told her she wasn’t.
A Met Police spokesman said: ‘A 28-year-old man was arrested in the Hertford area on Monday, 10 August on suspicion of attempted murder. He was taken to a west London police station, where he remains.
‘It follows a report of an assault at a nightclub in St James’ Street, Mayfair, in the early hours of Monday, August 10.
‘Police responded with the London Ambulance Service at 12.22am. A man in his 30s was taken to hospital with a potentially life-changing stab wound to his neck.’
Yazmin was not arrested in the raid and is not being treated as a suspect.
She joined TOWIE in 2017 and quickly became a central cast member due to her tumultuous relationship with James Lock.
However, she permanently stepped away from the long-running reality show in 2023 to focus on her recovery after she was seriously injured in the car crash that killed her boyfriend Jake McLean.
In 2022, Mr McLean’s blue Mercedes E class saloon plunged down from a mountainous road and into a ravine in Bodrum, Turkey. Yazmin was in the passenger seat.
Yazmin has been concentrating on her career as an influencer and beauty salon owner since leaving reality TV.
Back in April she shared a painful-looking recovery snap following her latest surgery in Turkey.
She took to Instagram with a selfie of her bruised and bandaged face and her body squeezed into a compression vest.
Yazmin told followers that her latest operation had seen her undergo facial lifts and liposuction, but insisted she was not ‘pushing surgery on anyone’ but was instead simply trying to be honest with her fans.
The TV personality went on to say that while she was ‘swollen, bruised and sore’ she knew that while healing ‘wasn’t instant’ she was sure she’d be glad of the results.
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