Man tried to save woman after ‘senseless’ stabbing.
A man has told a court how he attempted to save a lady who was stabbed 18 times in a “senseless attack” while waiting for a bus in north London.
Jala Debella, 22, is suspected of killing Anita Mukhey, 66, in May 2024, just an hour after getting a hunting knife he had ordered online.
Eyewitnesses told the Old Bailey that Debella, described in court as a “gore video fanatic,” attacked Mukhey.
Mukhey died at the scene after being stabbed soon before lunchtime on Edgware Road, despite the efforts of the people and emergency personnel.
Debella is too ill to attend the hearing, the jury was told, so they must conduct a “trial of issue” to establish if he committed the offences accused against him.
Debella had previously lived in Colindale, north-west London, in a residential institution for adults with mental illnesses.
According to witness Stefan Dennis, he was walking in the vicinity when he heard “screaming and shouting” and attempted to assist after seeing a lady tumble to the floor.
He [the accused] was normal despite the fact that others were shouting, screaming, and focussing on him.”
He told authorities at the time: “It was as if he was vacant and going about his business.” I remember thinking he didn’t appear to be of sound mind, like if he was on drugs.
Dennis dashed to a neighbouring climbing facility to retrieve a first aid kit and performed CPR until paramedics came, but she died at 12:22 BST. “I did my best,” he said. Nadine Agbedetse observed the attack and initially thought the disturbance was just two teens bickering.
She walked to her balcony to warn them to stop and noticed Mukhey fall on the ground.Agbedetse described the accused as “sauntering away” from the scene.
“When I yelled stop, he glanced up at me, and I looked back. He kept walking; there was no deliberate urgency or quick speed.
‘Blood on knife’
Another witness became emotional as she told the jury that she saw a guy “pulling and punching” a woman after leaving the New Image Hair Salon. Nicole Rosa stated: “When he turned, I noticed the knife.
Everything came to a halt when I spotted the knife, which appeared to be a kitchen knife from a distance. The red line indicated that he stabbed her rather than punching her.
He seemed peaceful; he was simply strolling away.” Debella had successfully ordered a hunting knife with a sheath online three days before the killing, according to the court record.
The knife was delivered at 10:44 BST, nearly an hour before the initial 999 call reporting the attack on Mukhey.
Police then found a matching blade in a bin where the defendant was spotted tossing something away, jurors were told. The hearing resumes.
Trials of the facts
If a judge rules that a person is medically incompetent to stand trial, criminal procedures cannot proceed.
The prosecution has the option of having the case tried as a “trial of the facts,” which replaces a criminal trial.
A public hearing is held to establish if an accused person performed the alleged acts. It cannot result in a conviction; but, if the judge is not convinced that the accused committed the alleged offences, he or she will be acquitted.
In a courtroom, the prosecution presents its evidence against the defendant to a judge and jury, much like in a conventional criminal trial.However, the accused does not participate in the proceedings as such. They do not even have to appear in court.
They will be represented by a legal team, and their lawyers will be able to examine witnesses, challenge evidence, and make legal arguments on their behalf.
Unlike in a criminal trial, the jury is not obligated to return a decision of guilty or not guilty, but rather to determine whether or not the accused committed the offence.
The emphasis is on what they are said to have physically done, rather than their mental state at the moment.
In a typical criminal trial, a jury would be asked to determine whether a defendant possessed the mental faculties required to be found guilty of the act.
The burden of proof remains the same: a jury must be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused did the claimed conduct. The accused cannot be convicted, but they can be acquitted if the jury determines they did not commit the alleged crimes.
If it is determined that an accused committed the act, the court may impose a range of treatment orders, the majority of which are intended to safeguard the public.
An individual can be committed to hospital, they can be subject to a guardianship order or they can be subject to a supervision and treatment order.
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