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A UK court sentenced an Afghan refugee to "an indefinite hospital order," and recommended for deportation. The man was found guilty of manslaughter after attacking and killing a man walking his dog, as well as injuring two more people.

An Afghan asylum seeker, identified as Dawood S. has been sentenced to "an indefinite hospital order" and been recommended for deportation by the judge. In court, he was found guilty of manslaughter after he violently attacked three individuals in London last year. The attack resulted in one death and two individuals with considerable injuries.

According to the trial's prosecutors, Dawood S., was found to have first attacked his landlord, 45-year-old Shahzad Farrukh, with a knife, who according to the Metropolitan Police suffered "life-changing" injuries from the incident.

The 28-year-old attacker then went on to fatally stab a local resident by the name of Wayne Broadhurst, who was walking his dog at the time, before injuring a 14-year-old boy as well.

The events took place on October 27, 2025, which a witness to the event described in court as a "butchering."

Attacker pleads guilty

The defendant later pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility, reported the BBC. Dawood S. was also found guilty by a jury of attempting to murder Farrukh and pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm to the teenage boy, as well as possession of a knife.

Prosecutors dropped a charge of murder, reported the BBC, after the guilty plea to manslaughter was entered, and after receiving expert reports on Dawood S.' mental health.

The family of the victim had meanwhile requested that the defendant be tried and convicted for murder, said the Metropolitan Police.

Prosecutors argued that in addition to the admission of guilt, the defendant's responsibility for the crime was diminished at the time on account of the state of his mental health.

The assailant had reportedly been suffering from delusions as part of a broader mental health problem, which was confirmed by a psychiatrist in court.

The psychiatrist also told the court that a hospital order was the best way at this point to protect the public "in anticipation of his release into the community," adding that for as long as the attacker remained in the UK, he would have to be subject to lifelong monitoring.

According to that assessment, Dawood S. is likely to spend at least five years at a hospital facility until he can even be considered to be transferred to a medium security facility, where he would be required to stay at least for several more years. That's if he is not deported sooner.

Asylum seeker lied about his age

The judge at Southwark Crown Court, Justice Cutts, ultimately decided to follow that recommendation, ordering Dawood S. to be taken to a secure hospital facility for an indefinite period, where he will receive treatment for the state of his mental health.

File photo: The judge said that the Afghan refugee would have received a life sentence if it had not been for the state of his mental health | Photo: picture alliance / Zoonar /DesignIt

She emphasized, however, that she would have sentenced the Afghan refugee to life in prison with a minimum term of eight years if it weren't for his mental state.

The judge also recommended that upon the completion of his treatment, the Afghan refugee be deported, explaining that his "continued presence in the UK is to [the country's] detriment," since Dawood S. could one day be set free.

Part of the recommendation for his deportation related to the fact that the defendant had previously lied about his age, claiming to be 17 years old to stand a better chance of being granted asylum, when he reached the UK irregularly on the back of a lorry in 2020.

Authorities at the time did not challenge that false claim and try to verify his real age, resulting in him being granted asylum in 2022.

Judge recommends deportation

However according to UK law, the final decision with deportation requests lies with the Home Secretary, who will consider the assailant's fate after his discharge.

A Home Office spokesperson meanwhile told UK media: "Decisions on deportation are considered carefully on a case-by-case basis in line with the law, and it would not be appropriate to comment further on an individual case."

Broadhurst stabbed 14 times

The main victim of the attack, 49-year-old Broadhurst, was walking his dog when he was stabbed 14 times, with injuries to the head, neck, chest, and back.

Broadhurst "was stabbed to death in a frenzied, random and entirely unprovoked attack," said prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw during the trial, adding that "Broadhurst died in the street, with the dog by his side."

In her sentencing remarks, Justice Cutts said that Wayne Broadhurst had simply "had the misfortune to be walking his dog at the time" of the attack.

Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Richard MacKenzie, who led the crime investigation, also stressed "the devastating impact of [the defendant's] brutal attack on his two victims who survived the attack, and to commend the exceptional bravery they showed in the face of such violence."

Protesters across Britain call for a stop to migration, justifying their views in part through a perceived rise in crime attributed to foreigners | Photo: Jaimi Joy / Reuters

Reports of this kind of violent acts committed by migrants and refugees in the UK have contributed to a rise in xenophobic sentiments across Britain and calls for stricter migration policies. This has also translated into a spike in support for hard-right parties and repeated protests across the country.