Convicted killer admits stabbing friend in neck and leaving him dying before going to mosque then telling police: ‘It’s happened again’
Daniel Levy, 48, has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to murdering his friend Abdul Kaleem Shaik after stabbing him in the neck at a flat in Vauxhall, south London. Levy, who has schizophrenia, had previously killed his grandmother in 2000, and after this second killing he prayed at a mosque and had a massage before handing himself in to police, telling officers "It's happened again."
Prosecutors said Levy stabbed Mr Shaik, 41, on New Year's Eve or in the early hours of New Year's Day, later telling police he believed his friend's deteriorating mental health meant killing him was a way of helping him reach heaven. He was arrested after walking into Bishopsgate police station on 1 January, and officers found Mr Shaik's body with a stab wound alongside a bloody knife at the flat. Levy had been convicted of his grandmother's manslaughter and arson in 2001 and given an indefinite hospital order, having previously absconded and later been recalled to hospital over threats to harm his parents; he changed his plea to guilty of murder just as his trial was due to begin, telling the judge he wanted to "go quietly" rather than face a public trial.
In short
- Daniel Levy pleaded guilty to murdering friend Abdul Kaleem Shaik in Vauxhall
- He'd previously killed his grandmother in 2000 while mentally ill
- He confessed to police after praying at a mosque and showering
Explained simply
Daniel Levy and Abdul Kaleem Shaik were friends who lived in south London. Levy has schizophrenia, a mental health condition that can affect a person’s thoughts and perceptions; the court has heard he believed Shaik’s worsening mental health meant killing him would help him reach heaven.
Levy had previously been convicted of killing his grandmother and setting fire to her home, and was ordered to be detained in hospital indefinitely. The case raises questions about how the criminal justice and mental health systems respond when someone has previously been convicted of a serious violent offence.