A woman from Lewisham with a history of paranoid schizophrenia has been jailed after killing her landlord - who was also her close friend - along with their cat. Habiba Naveed, 34, described after her arrest being told by a voice to kill him, and believing that Christopher Brown, 72, was evil.
On Tuesday (July 24), she was given a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act and a restriction order under Section 41, meaning she can be kept behind bars indefinitely. This followed her previous guilty plea to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
An investigation was first launched after neighbours' attention was drawn to the house on Polsted Road in August last year, apparently by the sounds of a woman screaming. When police arrived, they found Mr Brown's body, as well as that of his and Ms Naveed's cat, Snow.
Ms Naveed, who rented a room in the house owned by Mr Brown, was arrested later that same day. The day after, she was charged with murder.
Being interviewed by a psychiatrist after her arrest, Ms Naveed recounted hearing a voice tell her three times to kill Mr Brown, believing he was evil, and knowing as she killed him that what she was doing was wrong. She hit him with a pan, strangled him, and then hit him again. Blunt force trauma to the head, neck and chest was the given cause of death.
Once she had killed Mr Brown, Ms Naveed had believed the 'evil spirit' entered their cat. She cut Snow's neck as a result.
In January this year, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
DCI Kate Blackburn said: “Today’s sentencing concludes our investigation into the death of a man killed in his own home by a woman he lived with, trusted and considered his friend.
"Habiba Naveed has an established history of paranoid schizophrenia. The circumstances of this case highlight the dangers of the illicit use of cannabis and non-compliance with medication prescribed to manage serious mental health conditions.
“Christopher, who was Naveed’s landlord, still worked as a solicitor. He was an incredibly private and well-respected man within the community who is sorely missed by his family and loved ones. Our thoughts are with them today.”
Sign up to our London Court & Crime newsletter for the latest major court updates and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up HERE
(Feed generated with FetchRSS)