Jump to content


Photo
- - - - -

Insane’ husband who stabbed wife 120 times in frenzied killing walks free from court less than a year later


  • Please log in to reply
13 replies to this topic

#1 recovery man

recovery man

    Forum Obsessed!

  • Members
  • 3,835 posts

Posted 14 April 2012 - 04:20 PM

A killer declared insane after stabbing his wife to death less than a year ago walked free after a court heard he has recovered.

Farrukh Malik knifed Sarwat, his partner of 37 years, more than 120 times during the frenzied attack at their north London home after suffering 'depressive psychosis' following the death of his mother.

But the 66-year-old accountant, who is now living with his brother in Slough, Berkshire, was set free after a judge ruled he had no power to detain him because of medical reports which state he is no longer a danger.




Farrukh Malik who was declared insane has been allowed to walk free from court

The fears of one psychiatrist, who warned his condition could deteriorate again, were set aside after two other doctors said he was a low risk.

Malik a father-of-two, must continue with medical treatment for the next two years.

Setting him free, Judge Gerald Gordon stressed the order was 'not a punishment'.

'There is only one reason for making these requirements, and it's to ensure that you do not become unwell again,' he said.

'There is no legal basis that would enable me to make a hospital order.

'If there is any indication that you are, the appropriate action can be taken before anything, let alone the tragic events that did happen, can happen.

'The family will play an important part in keeping an eye on you on a day-to-day basis.'

Referring to the dissenting psychiatrist, he added: 'Clearly one has to be very careful when a doctor raises such concerns, but it is still outweighed by the evidence seen in the court.'









Pakistan-born Malik, who admitted carrying out the killing, was unanimously cleared of murder by reason of insanity following a two-day trial at the Old Bailey last December. Prosecutors did not challenge the defence.

Jurors cleared him of murder after two psychiatrists said he was suffering paranoid delusions at the time and did not have control over his actions.

Since his arrest, he has undergone eight rounds of electroconvulsive therapy and is said to be responding to the treatment.

The court heard how he had a 'good and happy' relationship with his wife, a playground assistant, and later refused to believe that he had killed her at their north London home.

Malik was in Pakistan in February when his mother died, the court heard.

Following his return to the UK, he suffered a series of health problems including a heart attack and insomnia, before plunging into a deep depression and later threatening to kill himself.

On the morning of June 20, Sarwat, 60, and daughter-in-law Sara, 23, were with him in the kitchen of the family home in Finchley.

At his trial last December, prosecutor Philip Bennetts QC said: 'Sara saw the defendant pick up a blunt cake knife.






Malik appeared at the Old Bailey in London and was told by a judge he would have to continue receiving medical treatment after he stabbed his wife to death

'He looked at it with a blank expression and appeared to be examining it.

'At around 11am the deceased telephoned Malik's doctor from the living room, and sounded distressed and worried.

'She said "you have to do something immediately", but the defendant took the phone and said words to the effect of "no, I'm fine - my wife is fed up with me, she's trying to get rid of me.

"Do not send anybody."'

Just seconds after hanging up, Sarwat followed her husband into the kitchen and asked him what he was doing.

'The defendant replied that he was looking for something sharp,' said Mr Bennetts.

'He went to the draining board and picked up a vegetable knife.'

Grabbing his wife he brought the six-inch blade up to her throat and began slashing frantically.

Sara moved to intervene but then turned and ran after the killer pointed the knife at her.

Following the attack he went to the front door of the property, still clutching the bloodstained knife, and stood in the doorway with a 'vacant' expression.

While in police custody later that day, he told a doctor: 'I think I tried to kill her.'

'The defendant appeared to be unable to understand anything but the most simple questions,' said Mr Bennetts.

'He alternated between nodding regularly at the officer questioning him and looking away.

'On the few occasions he engaged with a question, the defendant said he loved the deceased and that she was caring and gentle.

'Whilst he appeared to appreciate that he had been found with a knife in his hand and that he had been arrested on suspicion of murder, he repeatedly said he did not know what had happened or why it happened.'

A pathologist later found around 120 stab wounds to his victim's body, including five 'extensive' injuries to her neck.



http://www.dailymail...l#ixzz1s22vWgQI . He's declared insane, he's killed his wife and now he's allowed back on the streets after less then a year? what is wrong with our judge to let him free. :help:

Edited by David, 14 April 2012 - 09:26 PM.
Formatting removed for ease of reading


#2 MacGregor

MacGregor

    Supreme Poster

  • Power Users
  • 2,795 posts

Posted 14 April 2012 - 04:53 PM

[/size][/size]


http://www.dailymail...l#ixzz1s22vWgQI . He's declared insane, he's killed his wife and now he's allowed back on the streets after less then a year? what is wrong with our judge to let him free. :help:


Sounds like the judges hands were tied, not sure why you're blaming the judge.

#3 hathaway

hathaway

    Settling In

  • Members
  • 246 posts

Posted 14 April 2012 - 06:13 PM

Have to agree with CJM there - if the only reason he was dangerous was because of his mental state (and that mental state meant he wasn't fully responsible for his actions) then once that mental state has recovered sufficiently that he is no longer dangerous, there isn't a need to incarcerate him any longer.

#4 Shikari

Shikari

    Forum Legend

  • Power Users+
  • 2,260 posts

Posted 14 April 2012 - 07:53 PM

Judges can't make the law. Well, they can, but they can't overrule legislation, because parliment is sovereign. I don't like it any more than anyone else, but it does sound like he had no choice. I doubt any human would let someone like that free unless they had no other choice.

Besides, i'm with CM and Hathaway- if he was declared insane at the time (and I suspect several psychiatrists said he was, both the CPS's and defence's) and then was found to have been 'recovered', then all that can be done is let him go (and there are conditions to it). At the end of the day, you can't have one rule for certain crimes and another for others, unless it's legislated for. If it was someone who was declared insane and was jailed, despite having recovered, there'd be an equally outraged article from everyone's favourite daily tabloid. You can't have it both ways. Just my opinion anyway.

#5 recovery man

recovery man

    Forum Obsessed!

  • Topic Starter
  • Members
  • 3,835 posts

Posted 14 April 2012 - 08:55 PM

Sounds like the judges hands were tied, not sure why you're blaming the judge.

I thinking the judge should have sent the case back to the CPS to stand trial for murder,but thats only my opinion.and to add i did not like this bit 'The fears of one psychiatrist, who warned his condition could deteriorate again, were set aside after two other doctors said he was a low risk'.

Edited by David, 14 April 2012 - 09:27 PM.
Formatting removed for ease of reading


#6 Burnie

Burnie

    Forum Obsessed!

  • Members
  • 4,134 posts

Posted 14 April 2012 - 10:32 PM

I thinking the judge should have sent the case back to the CPS to stand trial for murder


Why? This IS the outcome of his murder trial. The jury unanimously cleared him of murder because of insanity and he is undergoing treatment for his mental health issues and has been declared no threat.

#7 recovery man

recovery man

    Forum Obsessed!

  • Topic Starter
  • Members
  • 3,835 posts

Posted 14 April 2012 - 10:56 PM

Why? This IS the outcome of his murder trial. The jury unanimously cleared him of murder because of insanity and he is undergoing treatment for his mental health issues and has been declared no threat.

As i said it was only my opinion and what was said ,'The fears of one psychiatrist, who warned his condition could deteriorate again,. and i still think he got away with murder to walk away a free man,and what happens if he kill,s again? what then.

#8 Radman

Radman

    Forum Obsessed!

  • Power Users+
  • 4,170 posts

Posted 15 April 2012 - 08:32 AM

Tough one...

He's insane and killed his wife whilst suffering a complete mental breakdown.

I don't know how anyone could have 'recovered' after stabbing their wife 120 times in the throat (I dread to think what the crime scene looked like) but my major concern is that this man is now walking around with the public.

A very tough one...

#9 Kellym82

Kellym82

    Die Hard

  • Members
  • 1,330 posts

Posted 15 April 2012 - 11:40 AM

I completely understand the law, and why he has been set free.

From personal experiences and reading etc. however I find it really hard to believe that he is 100% 'recovered' in a year! It doesn't seem very long to me, given the average length of mental illnesses is much higher.

#10 Dave SYP

Dave SYP

    Forum Obsessed!

  • Members
  • 4,740 posts

Posted 16 April 2012 - 08:13 AM

If he does re-offend, he won't be the first to do so having been released on the say so of a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist must be pretty damned sure they know what they are doing. It's not just their reputation at stake.

#11 MacGregor

MacGregor

    Supreme Poster

  • Power Users
  • 2,795 posts

Posted 16 April 2012 - 10:49 AM

I thinking the judge should have sent the case back to the CPS to stand trial for murder,but thats only my opinion.and to add i did not like this bit 'The fears of one psychiatrist, who warned his condition could deteriorate again, were set aside after two other doctors said he was a low risk'.


He has already stood trial and was found to be mentally ill at the time. What use does trying him again as a sane man when he wasn't sane at the time do? I doubt very much if you'd get a conviction out of that given the circumstances.

#12 CmdKeen

CmdKeen

    Forum Obsessed!

  • Power Users+
  • 4,325 posts

Posted 16 April 2012 - 11:46 AM

Presumably the whole area of monitoring mentioned in the article is there to handle the "if his condition deteriorates" worries. He would be a higher risk if one day he woke up a killer again with no warning. If it would take a period of noticeable change before he became a threat again then that is what the monitoring is for and he would then be reassessed and sectioned if necessary.

This is rather different from the cop killer's recent release where the experts said he should be placed somewhere with relatively few police officers to prevent re-offending. That was a farcical decision, this one seems to be the point of insanity defences.

#13 Clunk45

Clunk45

    Starting Out

  • Members
  • 85 posts

Posted 16 April 2012 - 11:54 AM

Tough one...

He's insane and killed his wife whilst suffering a complete mental breakdown.

I don't know how anyone could have 'recovered' after stabbing their wife 120 times in the throat (I dread to think what the crime scene looked like) but my major concern is that this man is now walking around with the public.

A very tough one...

I completely understand the law, and why he has been set free.

From personal experiences and reading etc. however I find it really hard to believe that he is 100% 'recovered' in a year! It doesn't seem very long to me, given the average length of mental illnesses is much higher.



Share identical concerns. It does say he is on a medical course for 2 years, i do very much hope he is closley monitored to ensure he turns up and follows it.

lets pray this doesn't turn sour and doctors know what they are doing!!

Edited by Clunk45, 16 April 2012 - 11:55 AM.


#14 Sailor

Sailor

    Forum Obsessed!

  • Power Users+
  • 4,214 posts

Posted 16 April 2012 - 03:51 PM

I saw the headline and thought "Daily Mail".. And I was right.




0 user(s) are browsing this forum

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users