Man stabbed to death by killer who was freed after setting grandmother on fire

Daniel Levy, 48, pleaded guilty to the New Year’s Eve murder of Abdul Kaleem Shaik, 41, at his flat in Vauxhall, south London – his second killing after the death of his grandmother in 2000

A convicted murderer has confessed to fatally stabbing his friend in the neck over the New Year period before handing himself in to police, declaring: “It’s happened again.”

On Wednesday, Daniel Levy, 48, entered a guilty plea to the murder of Indian national Abdul Kaleem Shaik, 41, at his Vauxhall flat in south London.

It can now be reported that Levy, who suffers from schizophrenia, had previously been found guilty of killing his grandmother by stabbing and setting fire to her body in July 2000.

Levy had initially acknowledged the second death but contested the murder charge, citing his mental state at the time. He dramatically changed his plea just as his trial was set to commence before jurors at the Old Bailey.

During an earlier hearing, prosecutors revealed that Levy had plunged a large blade into Mr Shaik’s neck at his residence sometime between New Year’s Eve and the early hours of New Year’s Day.

Authorities were notified of an incident after Levy presented himself at Bishopsgate police station in east London shortly past 8pm on January 1. He confessed that he had killed someone, telling officers: “It’s happened again.”

The remark was interpreted as hinting at the killing of his 72-year-old grandmother, Russian-born Nurzida Galimozanova, on July 25 2000. Officers attended his Vauxhall residence in south London, discovering Mr Shaik’s body on an improvised bed with a stab wound and blood covering his chest, neck and face.

A bloodstained knife was retrieved from the premises. Levy was detained and formally charged with Mr Shaik’s murder the next day.

CCTV recordings confirmed that on the night of December 31, solely the accused and the deceased were present at the property. During a police interview on January 2, Levy provided a comprehensive statement, revealing to officers that he’d been friends with Mr Shaik for many years and had permitted him to reside at his flat.

He explained Mr Shaik had grown “very depressed” and was struggling to manage. He stated that due to Mr Shaik’s declining mental wellbeing, he believed he needed to assist him by ending his life and ensuring his journey to heaven.

Prosecutor Peter Ratliff informed the earlier proceedings: “He described how he had been considering and trying to do this for some time. In the early hours of January 1, he finally did what he had planned by stabbing the deceased in the neck.

“He said he could hear him dying but did not want to watch it and went to the mosque to pray, had a massage and showered before going to the police station.”

The court was informed Levy had admitted to his grandmother’s manslaughter through diminished responsibility and arson back in October 2001. He received an indefinite hospital order at the Old Bailey.

Throughout those proceedings, it came to light that Levy felt compelled to kill after hearing voices addressing him in the film Gladiator. Mrs Galimozanova travelled to stay with Levy, who was residing in Borough, south London at the time, after his mother grew frightened by his conduct and appealed for assistance.

Levy subsequently doused his grandmother’s room with turpentine and white spirit, ignited it and closed the door. Upon escaping, he unleashed flame from an aerosol canister into her face before inflicting 30 stab wounds as she collapsed.

A 2004 independent inquiry commissioned by Lambeth Primary Care Trust revealed that NHS personnel had neglected to consider his mental state in the months preceding his grandmother’s death. The investigation exposed deficiencies in his treatment and demonstrated that staff had overlooked his psychiatric history, which included multiple suicide attempts, leading up to the assault on his grandmother.

The court was informed that Levy had fled from a secure psychiatric facility in 2003, and following his discharge was readmitted to hospital in 2013 after voicing intentions to harm his parents. Post-release, Levy was obliged to stay in touch with his mental health team, and the accused believed he was keeping up with his medication regime, the court heard.

His medication was delivered via supervised injection, though Levy had voiced doubts about the necessity of his treatment, prosecutors stated. Prior to entering his guilty plea on Wednesday, Judge Lynn Tayton KC questioned Levy, asking whether he’d had sufficient time to reflect on his decision.

Levy informed her of his intention to admit guilt to murder, stating: “I don’t want to go to trial. I don’t want my personal information outside in public. I would rather just go quietly as possible, do my time.”

The judge determined that Levy was competent to submit his plea. Defence barrister Michael Holland KC argued Levy deserved recognition for his belated guilty plea, noting he had consistently acknowledged the killing.

He requested details regarding Mr Shaik’s psychological condition to determine whether the accused’s perception of his conduct as “akin to assisted suicide” held any legitimacy.

Judge Tayton remanded Levy in custody ahead of sentencing on Wednesday, 9 September.

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