A man, who described himself as a “psycho”, killed his neighbour with a sword two months after being discharged from a psychiatric hospital, the Old Bailey has heard.
Abdul Khan, 27, fatally stabbed father-of-two Bohdan Vandzhura 39 times in the street in North Harrow, northwest London, in July 2023.
Khan, who has already admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility in relation to Mr Vandzhura, denies attempting to murder a second man months earlier.
Khan appeared via video-link from Broadmoor secure hospital, while his father Khalil Khan appeared in court and denies assisting an offender.
The Old Bailey heard Mr Vandzhura, a Ukrainian who lived next-door to Khan and his father, left home for work at 6.18am on 8 July 2023.
Abdul Khan left his own home a minute later, followed him along the road carrying a holdall and pulled a large sword from the bag, striking him from behind, the court was told.
Jurors were shown CCTV footage of the attack.
“There was a violent strike of this sword for each of the 39 seconds of this relentless assault,” said prosecutor Hugh Davies KC.
‘Not receptive to reason’
Members of the public tried to stop Khan by shouting and hooting their horns, but he could not be stopped, the court heard.
“He was not receptive to reason,” the prosecutor said.
After running home, Khan was arrested, deemed to be severely mentally ill, and taken to Broadmoor.
Jurors were told that his father took a carrier bag, later found to contain Khan’s bloodied tracksuit and trainers, to a lock-up garage owned by his brother.
“That bloodied clothing had to be got away from the home address as soon as possible… he was disposing of the clothing,” Mr Davies said.
The psychiatrist who later worked with Abdul Khan said he was “one of the most mentally unwell men I have treated in my career”.
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The court also heard about a previous unprovoked attack allegedly by Khan in August 2022.
‘Voices in his head’
Jurors were shown CCTV footage of Santa Shrestha being knocked to the ground and repeatedly punched and stamped on by Khan, after “voices” in his head said he should “make a corpse of him”, his trial was told.
He attacked Mr Shrestha for a second time about six months later in a local shop, the court heard.
Khan said he only failed to kill him because he did not have a weapon on him.
“I was a psycho back then, too aggressive and explosive – when sufficiently provoked it results in outbursts of physical violence,” he told the psychiatrist.
In May 2023, he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act, having been arrested at a pub for grabbing a man by the throat and threatening to firebomb the venue, the court heard.
“He was obviously significantly psychiatrically disturbed,” Mr Davies said.
Just four days later, he walked free after his father applied for his discharge, jurors were told.
The trial continues.
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