Overview
- Dawood Safi pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Wayne Broadhurst at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, July 13, and the prosecution accepted the plea as a matter of law.
- Court reports say four independent medical experts found Safi was experiencing an abnormality of mental functioning and was in a psychotic state during the October 27 attack.
- Mr Broadhurst, a passerby walking his dog, died at the scene from multiple stab wounds while Safi also seriously injured his landlord Shahzad Farrukh and a 14-year-old boy.
- Safi has already admitted lesser offences including possession of an offensive weapon and grievous bodily harm and will still face trial on two counts of attempted murder.
- The case highlights how UK law lets a murder charge be reduced to manslaughter when expert psychiatric evidence shows the defendant lacked normal mental control and the court will now consider that evidence alongside the remaining charges.