Woman said she was ‘Jesus sent to eliminate evil' after killing landlord and cat
*
SIGN UP
I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice
A woman said she was 'Jesus' and had been 'sent to eliminate evil from the world' after battering her 72-year-old friend to death and stabbing his pet cat in the neck, a court has heard.
Habiba Naveed, 35, previously denied the murder of her landlord Christopher Brown, but pleaded guilty to his manslaughter.
She also admitted causing unnecessary suffering to his cat Snow by stabbing him in the neck on or before August 15 last year.
At a hearing at the Old Bailey on Thursday, Judge Sarah Munro KC imposed a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act and a restriction order under Section 41 – meaning Naveed can be detained indefinitely.
At the time of the offence, Naveed, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was 'psychotic' – while her mental health had 'deteriorated' in the days preceding the attack, the court heard.
Prosecutor Kerry Broome told the court Naveed believed she had connections to the royal family and was Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed's daughter.
After the attack, Naveed told her brother 'she was Jesus and had been sent to eliminate evil from the world', and later said to police 'the devil attacked me last night and I won,' Ms Broome said.
The court heard Naveed had also told police she 'slept in coffins', and Jesus had raised her from the dead.
The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation after Mr Brown's body was discovered under a dressing gown in the living room of the home he shared with Naveed in Polsted Road, Lewisham, south-east London.
The house cat, Snow, was also found dead having been stabbed in the neck.
Ms Broome said of a previous account of the attack given by the defendant: 'She believed she had seen the deceased kill his mother and that the deceased was evil.'
'She heard a voice telling her to kill him three times,' she 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's neck,' Mr Broome added.
The pair had lived together at Polsted Road for several years, during which Mr Brown 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, the court heard.
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 call an ambulance, the hearing was told.
Sentencing, Judge Munro told the defendant: 'You attacked Chris between around 11pm and 11.50pm on August 14.
'You hit Chris a number of times to the head with a saucepan which broke in the process; you then sat on him breaking his ribs and strangled him.
'You then slit the cat's throat before leaving Chris covered in a dressing gown alone and dead or dying in the living room property where he was found by Mr Rizwan (a lodger) when he returned to the house at 2.15am on 15th.
'You left a bloodied knife with which you had cut the cat's throat nearby.'
She added: 'The consultant forensic psychiatrist was of the view that the injuries fitted your account which shows that you were conscious of exactly what you were doing as you killed Chris.'
The judge said two psychiatrists agreed on the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and that Naveed had 'no insight' into her mental health, diagnosis or symptoms.
Naveed repeatedly became aggressive during previous hospital admissions and had been off her proscribed medication for a year at the time of the killing, the court heard.
The defendant was a frequent user of cannabis which exacerbates her symptoms but, did not cause her psychosis, according to psychiatrists, the judge said.
Mitigating factors beyond Naveed's mental illness included her lack of any serious previous offending, while aggravating factors included her use of strangulation and a weapon, the judge added.
A post-mortem examination found that Mr Brown, who was a lawyer, died from blunt force trauma.
In a tearful statement, a colleague from Mr Brown's law firm told the hearing that the victim would have helped anyone if he could, adding that Naveed had taken away any 'future memories'.
She said: 'He wasn't just a 72-year-old-man tragically killed by his housemate, he was a solicitor, a boss, a partner, a kind man.'
In a statement read out by Ms Broome, Mr Brown's cousin described him as a 'kind and caring person' who would go out of his way to help his family and his clients.
Naveed attended the hearing via video-link and only spoke to confirm her identity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Man found guilty of murdering ex-fiancee at luxury hotel
A man has been found guilty of murdering his ex-fiancee at a luxury hotel in Surrey last year. James Cartwright, 61, stood trial at Guildford Crown Court accused of killing 54-year-old Samantha Mickleburgh, whose body was found at the five-star Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot on April 14 last year. The mother-of-two, from Axminster in Devon, had agreed to stay in a twin room with Cartwright – her former fiance – because she 'didn't want him to feel lonely' on his birthday, the jury was told. He phoned 999 at around 8.30am the next morning claiming he had discovered her dead beside him in bed. On Thursday, a jury unanimously convicted him of murder and rape but acquitted him of controlling or coercive behaviour. Ms Mickleburgh's loved ones cried in court after the verdicts were read out and hugged each other after the hearing. Mr Justice Murray set the sentencing date for August 8 and told the defendant: 'You have been found guilty of the murder and rape of Samantha Mickleburgh. 'You are remanded in custody to await the sentencing hearing. 'You may now go down.' Cartwright, who did not visibly react as the jury gave its verdicts, told the judge 'thank you' before leaving the dock. During the trial, jurors were told that Cartwright had lent Ms Mickleburgh tens of thousands of pounds to help renovate a property she had bought in early 2023. He claimed she owed him around £100,000 at the time of her death. The pair lived together and got engaged later that year, with Cartwright proposing on a beach during a holiday. He told the court the proposal was met with 'an immediate and emphatic yes' and described their relationship at the time as 'extremely amicable and friendly and loving'. But the relationship began to break down when Cartwright discovered 'highly sexual' messages from Ms Mickleburgh's former partner on her phone and later on her laptop. On October 2, he confronted her and admitted standing in front of her car to stop her leaving their home following an argument. 'She got into her car. It was clear that she was going to drive away,' he told the court. 'I pulled (the gate) to prevent the car from leaving. 'She chose to drive through the gate and onto the road, so I had to put myself in front of the car to stop her leaving, because the gate hadn't worked.' Cartwright said he was embarrassed by his behaviour and later apologised. Although the pair continued to live together until February 2024 and remained physically intimate, he said he no longer trusted her. Around two weeks before moving out, he found further messages between Ms Mickleburgh and her ex-partner but chose not to confront her. Instead, he said he asked if they had been in touch, and she denied it – something he described as 'almost terminal on my part'. Following their separation, Cartwright began speaking to other women on the dating app Bumble and told one that the upcoming dinner with his ex had 'the feel of a final farewell'. Another message described it as 'the last goodbye'. Cartwright said he had not yet met the women in person and was only seeking 'companionship' and 'friendship'. The defendant, of no fixed address, told the court he had been married and divorced three times and had three adult daughters.
The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Prison homicides and self-harm incidents soar as overcrowding crisis deepens
Homicides, assaults and self-harm incidents have soared in prisons in England and Wales as the overcrowding crisis deepens, damning new figures show. Seven prisoners were killed in the year to June 2025, compared to none the previous year. There are usually three or fewer homicides a year, according to the Ministry of Justice's safety in custody statistics. It comes as overall deaths surged by 30 per cent, after 401 people died in jail in the same period. This includes 86 whose deaths were classed as self-inflicted, down from 93 the previous year. A record 77,898 incidents of self-harm took place in the 12 months to the end of March 2025 – the equivalent of one every seven minutes. Over the same period, prisons recorded 30,846 assaults – up nine per cent – including 3,402 classed as serious. Attacks on staff also surged by 7 per cent, with 10,568 assaults recorded. The alarming figures come as nearly one in five adult prisons in England and Wales have had serious concerns raised about their performance, the highest number since the current system of inspections began. Some 22 jails were given the lowest possible performance ranking in the year to March, up from 15 in the previous 12 months. A further 37 prisons were assessed as being of concern, up from 35. The Ministry of Justice findings note the rise 'may be a reflection of the pressures facing the prison estate', as ministers continue to grapple with overcrowding, violence and drugs in jails. Earlier this month, chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor placed HMP Pentonville into special measures over its 'chaotic' conditions. The mice and cockroach-infested north London jail was the 10th to be served an urgent notification since November 2022, according to the watchdog. The Howard League for Penal Reform warned 'prisons cannot go on like this' and said 'far more' must be done to reduce pressure on the prison population. Its director of campaigns, Andrew Neilson, said: 'It is unconscionable to see the huge rise in deaths in custody, as well as continued spikes in self-harm and in assaults. 'What is happening behind bars matters to all of us, as exposing people to failing institutions where deaths, distress and violence is the norm, is no way to prepare individuals for a safe and crime-free life on release.' Inquest, a charity which investigates state-related deaths, said the figures are further evidence of a prison estate in crisis. 'These figures are yet another devastating indictment of the appalling state of the prison system, and the destructive social harms prison regimes generate for people inside,' said Deborah Coles, Inquest's director. On Monday, a trial of Tasers in prisons used by specialist officers began as part of efforts to curb the levels of violence against prison officers. The government, which has vowed to create 14,000 new prison places by 2031, has also announced a new £900,000 cash boost to tackle drones bringing drugs and weapons into prisons. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also accepted a string of recommendations following a major report by David Gauke, which will see some offenders serve less of their sentence in custody in sweeping reforms expected to ease pressure on prisons. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'These statistics once again lay bare the extent of the crisis facing our prisons – with levels of violence, assaults on staff and self-harm far too high. 'The government has made it clear it will do whatever we can to protect our hardworking staff – which is why we are trialling tasers in prisons and mandated protective body armour for prison officers working with the most dangerous offenders. "But it is clear fundamental change is needed, which is why we're also reforming our jails so they create better citizens, not better criminals."
The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Premier League star cleared of betting charges
Lucas Paqueta has been cleared of four misconduct charges concerning alleged breaches of the Football Association 's betting rules. An independent regulatory commission found the charges, which alleged he attempted to receive a red card to influence betting markets, not proven. Paqueta had consistently denied the accusations since the investigation began in May 2024, with West Ham United supporting him throughout. However, the FA confirmed that two separate charges against Paqueta, relating to his failure to co-operate with the investigation, have been proven. A commission will now decide the appropriate sanction for Paqueta concerning these two proven charges.
