A former tenant who murdered her landlord and stabbed his cat to death has been given an indefinite hospital order.
Habiba Naveed (pictured), 35, (pictured) admitted the manslaughter of lawyer Christopher Brown who she attacked at the home they shared in Lewisham, south-east London, in August 2024. His cat Snow was found with a stab wound to the neck.
The Old Bailey heard that following the attacks, she told her brother she was Jesus, and later told police, “the devil attacked me last night and I won”, reports the BBC.
Naveed, who has paranoid schizophrenia, was psychotic, and her mental health had deteriorated in the days before the attack, the court heard. Prosecutor Kerry Broome said Naveed believed she had connections to the royal family and was the daughter of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed.
The pair had lived together at Polsted Road (main image) for several years, during which time her landlord was persuaded to put the property, which he had inherited from his parents, in both his and Naveed’s names, the prosecutor said. The house was refurbished, and lodgers were taken in, which Naveed orchestrated.
In the days leading up to the attack, Naveed’s family were concerned at the state of her mental health, leading them to call 111 and an ambulance. Naveed told police she slept in coffins, and Jesus had raised her from the dead.
“She heard a voice telling her to kill him three times
“She heard a voice telling her to kill him three times,” the prosecutor said, adding that Naveed hit Mr Brown with a pan and then strangled him. She believed the evil spirit had jumped out of the deceased and into the cat. She got a knife and she cut the cat,” Ms Broome added.
In a statement, Mr Brown’s cousin described him as a “kind and caring person” who would go out of his way to help his family and clients. He was also a long time Lewisham Chess Club player.
Tags:
Comments