A man was fuelled by a desire to kill English people as he attacked people at random at a branch of Tesco, a court has heard.

Samiulahaq Akbari, 32, allegedly stalked the aisles of Tesco Extra in Thornton heath, south London, and targeted people.

Footage shows him as he walked behind Nicholas Speight on January 8 then tapping him on the shoulder.

He asked what his nationality was and when he replied that he was from the UK he swung a 10-inch knife at him, the Old Bailey was told yesterday.

Prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe said that unsuspecting Mr Speight would not have known that ‘events would unfold with such frightening speed’.

She said: “On that evening in January this year this defendant had set out deliberately to threaten, harm and kill members of the public by virtue of their nationality, or what Mr Akbari perceived to be their nationality – they were English”.