A woman has been sentenced after pleading guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and animal cruelty, following the death of her landlord, as well as a pet cat.
Habiba Naveed appeared at the Old Bailey last week where she was given a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act and a restriction order under Section 41. This means she can be detained indefinitely.
Naveed previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn of the Metropolitan Police’s specialist crime division, who led the investigation, says: “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.”
An investigation was launched last August after the body of a man was found at a residential address in the SE6 area of London.
The victim, who was later identified as 72-year-old Christopher Brown, had sustained a serious head injury. A post-mortem examination found the cause of Christopher’s death to be blunt force trauma to the head, neck and chest.
Inside the address, officers also found Christopher and Habiba’s pet cat, named Snow, which had been stabbed in the neck and killed. When searching the address, officers located multiple blood stains along with a kitchen knife covered in blood.
Naveed, a woman who rented a room inside Christopher’s property, was quickly identified as a suspect and arrested later that day. Neighbours reported to police that they heard a female voice shouting from inside the property.
Naveed was charged with murder on August 16.
The only account as to why she killed her landlord was given by her to a psychiatrist while on remand. She described believing the landlord was evil and hearing a voice telling her to kill him three times. She recounted hitting him with a pan she was holding which caused him to fall, before strangling him until she thought he was unconscious.
He then asked her to stop and she describes realising her actions were wrong, but hitting him again. She believed the evil spirit had jumped out of him and into Snow the cat. She got a knife and cut the cat’s neck.
In January this year Naveed pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
This article is taken from Landlord Today