A woman in the UK, who told police she was “Jesus sent to eliminate evil from the world” after killing her landlord and stabbing his pet cat, has been detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act, a judge at the Old Bailey ruled Thursday, July 24.
Habiba Naveed, 35, was sentenced under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983, along with a Section 41 restriction order, meaning she may never be released without approval from the Ministry of Justice. The court accepted her guilty plea to the manslaughter of 72-year-old Christopher Brown because of diminished responsibility, as well as to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
Naveed, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, attacked Brown — her landlord and longtime friend — at the home they shared on Polsted Road in Lewisham, south-east London, on the night of August 14, 2024. The body of Mr. Brown, a retired solicitor, was found the next morning by a lodger.
According to Prosecutor Kerry Broome, Naveed believed she was “Jesus” and had been “raised from the dead.” She also claimed to be the daughter of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, and told police she “slept in coffins.” Naveed said she killed Brown because she believed he had committed murder and was “evil,” and that the “evil spirit” had then jumped into his cat, Snow, which she also stabbed in the neck.
“She heard a voice telling her to kill him three times,” Broome told the court. “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.”
Naveed struck Mr. Brown with a saucepan, sat on him with enough force to break his ribs, and strangled him. The court heard that the forensic evidence supported her account of the violence. A bloodied knife was recovered from the scene.
The court also learned that Mr. Brown had trusted Naveed enough to co-sign the deed to his home with her, which she managed by organizing lodgers and overseeing renovations. The two had shared the property for several years.
Judge Sarah Munro KC said psychiatrists agreed that Naveed had been psychotic at the time of the killing and had “no insight” into her illness. She had stopped taking her prescribed medication a year before the attack, and her frequent cannabis use was said to exacerbate, but not cause, her symptoms.
“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,” Judge Munro said during sentencing. “You then slit the cat’s throat before leaving Chris covered in a dressing gown alone and dead or dying.”
The judge noted that Naveed’s lack of previous serious offending was a mitigating factor, while aggravating elements included the use of strangulation and a weapon. A post-mortem confirmed Brown died of blunt force trauma.
Brown’s former colleagues and family gave emotional statements during the hearing. One colleague called him a “kind man” and a “partner” who would “help anyone if he could.” His cousin described him as “a kind and caring person” who had dedicated his life to helping others.
Naveed appeared via video link and confirmed only her identity.
