DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) — An 8-year-old Detroit girl who survived a brutal throat-slashing attack at a city park last year faced her attacker in court as he was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.
Saida Mashrah, who was 7 years old when she was attacked at Ryan Park in Detroit in October 2024, bravely spoke in court about how the terrifying incident impacted her life.
Watch Tiarra Braddock's video report below:
"I feel scared, nervous and after this accident happened to me, I didn't want to go to sleep. I didn't want to go to the park. I didn't want to do anything," Saida said in court.
Gary Lansky, 74, who lived near the park where Saida was playing, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to assault with intent to murder. He was sentenced to between 7 and 15 years in prison as part of a plea agreement.
The young survivor described her ongoing fears following the attack.
"I felt like if I go outside, somebody will try and drag me and kill me," Saida said.
When I first spoke to Saida last year, just days after the attack, she described the horrific moment when Lansky assaulted her.
Related story: 7-year-old girl kicks suspect, breaks free after he attacks her with knife
"He just pulled my head up, the other thing was a pocket knife and he just slide the knife on my throat," Saida said.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Charise Anderson asked Lansky if he had anything to say before sentencing.
"How sorry I am to the family for what I've done," Lansky said.
Attorney Nabih Ayad, who is representing Saida and her family in a $50 million civil lawsuit against Lansky, stood by her side as the sentence was delivered. He expressed disappointment with the length of the sentence.
"Anyone who could do that to a little child should never been out in the public," Ayad said. "The sentence wasn't good enough… absolutely not, I think the individual should have gotten much more years."
Despite her young age, Saida had a clear message for the man who nearly took her life.
"Stay in jail forever and never come out," Saida said.
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