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A homeless man who fatally stabbed a grandfather and injured two others in a random knife attack on Remembrance Sunday morning nearly two years ago has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order.
Musse Ali, 67, killed Hilkiah McLeggan, 77, with a kitchen knife and wounded Ho Man Yau and Baheru Nadew Bartura in East Street market in Walworth, south London, on 10 November 2024.
Ali has schizoaffective disorder and was not taking his medication at the time of the attack.
He was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Wednesday after admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility, wounding with intent and having a bladed article.
Judge Nigel Lickley KC said Ali's mental illness was the "main driver in his horrific offending that day".
"A life was lost and many lives changed as a consequence," he said.
The judge added that Ali's offending caused "serious alarm and distress" and that there is "no doubt" that he is a "dangerous" individual.
He accepted the evidence of two experts that "the reason Mr Ali behaved in the very violent way he did was because he was very unwell at the time".
Ali was sentenced to a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act with a restriction order under Section 41.
The court heard that after travelling to the market by bus on the day of the attack, Ali entered a shop and stole a knife.
The shopkeeper initially thought Ali was stealing vapes and after pushing him out of the building, realised he was holding a blade.
Once outside, Ali randomly stabbed three people in "quick succession", it was heard.
His first victim, Yau, had been walking through the market when Ali "ran at him" and "stabbed him a number of times".
In a witness statement, he said Ali looked "crazy" and that his eyes were "wide and scary".
After stabbing Yau, Ali subsequently attacked Bartura and McLeggan with the blade, which was 20 to 25cm in length.
The defendant also "lunged" at other members of the public with the weapon before he was ultimately disarmed, it was heard.
McLeggan died at the scene from a stab wound to the back.
The court heard that Bartura has needed extensive medical treatment since the attack, which saw him suffer a deep penetrative wound to his chest.
In a victim impact statement, he said that without the support of his family, he would be housebound due to the "overwhelming anxiety, post-traumatic stress and a constant fear of being attacked again".
'Atrocious and selfish act'
The responsible clinician for Ali, who was sleeping rough and lost to services at the time of the incident, told the court that the defendant has a "serious and treatment-resistant" form of the schizoaffective disorder.
He said that in his view, Ali would not have offended and the event would not have taken place if he did not suffer from the illness.
Ali arrived in the UK in 1990 from Somalia, seeking political asylum.
In a tribute, McLeggan's relatives said Ali "stole a precious, courageous, supportive and loving person when he carried out this atrocious and selfish act".
"Our dad was not ready to go, nor were we prepared to lose him in such a cruel way," they said.
"We didn't get to hug him; tell him we loved him one last time or say goodbye. He had so much vibrancy, love and life to give, which makes his loss exceptionally hard to bear. We will cherish him in our hearts forever."
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