Man killed grandmother after psychiatric hospital release, jury finds

A mentally ill man stabbed his grandmother more than 20 times two days after being let out of a psychiatric hospital, a jury has found.

Subell Ali, 34, killed dementia sufferer Somtera Bibi, 80, at the family’s London home on the morning of last April 2, the Old Bailey was told.

On Wednesday, a jury deliberated for an hour to find the defendant, who is in a secure hospital, committed the act.

Afterwards, Judge Philip Katz KC said it is “troublesome” that Ali had only just been let out of hospital at the time of the attack.

Ali was detained under the Mental Health Act in May 2020 after telling police people in Brick Lane were telling him to “stab people”, the court had been told.

His sister Seema Ali had called 999 and reported he had schizophrenia but had stopped taking his medication.

She told the operator: “He wants to run out of the house. He might hurt somebody. He’s really angry as well.”

The defendant became an inpatient at a psychiatric hospital and was released on March 31 2022.

After being allowed home, Ali became preoccupied with a fearsome character he called Shahin Jahan, the court was told.

Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC told jurors hearing voices was a symptom of the defendant’s mental illness.

On April 2, the defendant’s mother, Fatima Khatun, heard a “terrible scream” and went downstairs to find the distressed victim in the sitting room.

Ali, who was dressed all in white, explained to his mother that Shahin Jahan had asked him to “go and kill (her) quickly”.

The defendant left a large blood-stained knife in the kitchen and walked out of the house as his sister alerted police once more.

About 10 minutes later, Ali was found by police at a nearby bus stop with his white sleeves covered in his grandmother’s blood.

While at Forest Gate police station, the defendant told police: “Someone told me to do this. Why would I do that to my own nan?”

The elderly victim suffered more than 20 stab wounds to her face and body, with the most significant to her chest.

She also had knife injuries to her right hand and wrist consistent with raising her hands to protect herself, the court was told.

Jurors were told Ali, from Manor Park, east London, was unfit to stand trial due to his serious mental illness so they only had to decide on the facts.

Judge Katz adjourned the case until Thursday, when he will hear evidence from a psychiatrist before making an order on Ali’s continued detention in a secure hospital.