Asylum seeker killed pensioner on Remembrance Day after failing to take his medication

A mentally ill asylum seeker killed a pensioner and stabbed two others in a Remembrance Sunday rampage after failing to take his medication, a court heard.

Screaming shoppers fled in terror as Musse Ali, 68, hacked at members of the public with a 25cm kitchen knife he had stolen from a shop at East Street market in Walworth, southeast London.

Hilkiah McLeggan, 77, known as Mac or Lloyde, died at the scene while Ho Man Yau, 45, and accountant Baheru Nadew Bartura, 56, were rushed to hospital.

Ali also tried to stab two others as he lunged around the market before being tackled and disarmed by members of the public, including one who was armed himself with a pole.

Mr McLeggan, came from Jamaica and had three daughters while in the UK.

His sister returned to Jamaica after his death because she no longer feels safe in London.

Ali admitted manslaughter, possession of a knife and two counts of wounding with intent.

He denied murder and attempted murder on the basis that his responsibility for the killing was diminished by his schizoaffective disorder and his pleas were accepted by the crown.

Ali appeared in court today (weds) wearing a black Bike jacket assisted by a Somali interpreter.

He is currently being held in Broadmoor and he will now be detained indefinitely at the maximum security psychiatric hospital.

He came to the UK seeking asylum in 1990 after being arrested on suspicion of guerrilla activity in Somalia and imprisoned for four years.

In August 2024 Ali left his supported accommodation after complaining black magic was being used on him and was reported missing.

Responsibility for his care was transferred to Lewisham community mental health team but Ali failed to engage with support workers. By November 2024 he was sleeping rough not receiving help or taking medication.

Judge Nigel Lickley, KC, ordered Ali be detained in hospital under Section 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act, meaning he will not be released without the permission of psychiatrists and the Justice Secretary.

He said: ‘This case concerns the tragic events on 10 November 2024 when three members of the public were attacked by the defendant Musse Ali who had armed himself with a large kitchen knife.

‘Musse Ali was mentally very unwell at the time. His longstanding mental illness was the main driver in his horrific offending that day when he stabbed and killed Hilkiah McLeggan and seriously injured Ho Man Yau and Baheru Nadew Bartura.

‘A life was lost and many lives changed as a consequence.

‘Nothing I say or do can reverse what has happened or repair the loss or damage caused to so many.

‘You have an established diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder marked by symptoms such as hallucinations, delusion and psychosis.

‘The event was in the presence of many members of the public and must have been shocking to observe.

‘The experts agree on the need for hospital treatment.

‘Appropriate treatment is available at Broadmoor Hospital.

‘There is no doubt you are mentally unwell and need to remain in hospital at the present time.

‘You may in fact never be well enough to be transferred to prison or discharged. Therefore a sentence of imprisonment is not appropriate.’

The judge said that if sent to prison Ali may be not have sufficient supervision and may gain access to illicit drugs.

Mr McLeggan’s daughters sobbed in court as the judge repeated details about their father’s death.

Ali, in the dock with a grey beard wearing a black Bike jacket and assisted by a Somali interpreter, did not react to his sentence.

Prosecutor Allan Compton, KC, said CCTV showed Ali heading towards East Street market at around 10.30am, shortly before the two minute silence.

‘On the bus nothing was abnormal about his behaviour, but when he got to East Street he entered a Pound Plus shop and stole a knife.

‘It was only when he was outside the shop that the shopkeeper saw him holding the knife in packaging.

‘The defendant was seen stabbing three victims in quick succession as he moved through the market.

‘The first was Ho Man Yau. As he was walking through the market pulling a wheeled carrier behind him the defendant came behind and stabbed him a number of times.

‘There was a stab wound to his arm close to his armpit and two wounds to the upper chest close to the armpit.

‘In his witness statement Ho Man Yau said “his eyes were staring at me and he looked crazy. His eyes were wide and scary looking directly at me. He looked unclean like he hadn’t had a shave or shower in a while.”

‘The defendant then immediately ran along the street and came up behind another male.

‘He raised the knife above that man’s head, but fell and dropped the knife and that man fled.

‘The defendant picked up the knife and ran through the market. People were panicking saying “he has a knife”.

‘Then he came up behind Mr Bartura. He stabbed Mr Bartura from behind in and around the armpit area.

‘Mr Bartura at the time was browsing fruit when suddenly he felt a pain in his right side.

‘He then heard a male voice shouting ”brother you have been stabbed”. He walked a metre and a half before feeling weak and sitting down in intense pain.

‘He had a brief memory of the paramedics arriving but the next thing he remembered is waking up in hospital approximately a week later.’

Paramedics performed emergency surgery and Mr Bartura was left with a fractured rib and problems with his throat.

Mr Compton said: ‘Having stabbed Mr Bartura the defendant ran a short distance and within three or four seconds he stabbed Mr McLeggan in the back.

‘The wound was a single stab wound which penetrated between ribs and penetrated the lung and liver to a depth of 14cm.

‘Despite the best efforts of paramedics and police who attended the scene the blood loss was too extensive and Mr McLeggan was pronounced dead at the scene at 11.27.

‘The defendant also lunged to another member of the public with the knife and was chased by members of the public, at least one who had armed himself with a pole.

‘He was disarmed and detained by passersby until police arrived and arrested him.’

A policeman approached Ali who was on the floor complaining of an injured leg surrounded by members of the public.

He was taken to Brixton Police Station where he said ‘that’s why I stabbed them’ and ‘I didn’t want to murder anyone’.

‘He said he had stopped using crack cocaine on 2 October and cannabis a number of weeks ago.’

Toxicological analysis revealed cocaine and cannabis of a likely non-recent nature.

Ali was married with four children in Somalia but came to the UK in 1990 and remained.

He has convictions for robbery, possession of a blade, theft and common assault.

Mr Compton said Ali has a ‘significant history of fire setting’ including setting fire to his mattress at a mental health facility and starting a fire in a probation hostel.

Mr McLeggan’s daughter Sarah McLeggan sobbed as she read her victim impact statement to court.

She said: ‘We used to watch the news and see reports of violence or death and feel pity for families after the death of a loved one, not once imagining one day we would be the ones left distraught.

‘The defendant stole a precious, courageous and supportive loving person when he carried out this atrocious and selfish act.

‘It is soul destroying to think he may never have the mental capacity to take account for what he did.

‘The events of Remembrance Sunday have made us terrified we may one day go out and never come back.

‘We are tremendously upset to know coverage on social media has been used to fuel racist and xenophobic content by so-called political influencers who have used our Dad’s death or promote their heinous campaigns and elevate their selfish platform.

‘There has unequivocally been a failing in the mental health system that allowed this to happen and we plead that lessons are learned so events like this do not happen again.’

Laura McLeggan, another of Mr McLeggan’s three daughters, told the court: ‘At 9.38am I called Dad who said he was just popping to the market.

‘When he didn’t come home I checked the local news.

‘When I saw someone had been murdered I knew it was him.

‘Mr Ali stole our father, we were waiting for him to come home.

‘When the defendant was of sound mind he made a conscious decision to end his medication.

‘He made the choice to risk a decline in this mental health. He made a choice to withdraw from supported living and mental health services. He made the choice to risk a decline in his mental capacity.

‘He made choices that led to the killing of our father yet he still shows no remorse, no understanding of what he has done.

‘The murder of our father was preventable and yet he was failed by services.

‘Our paternal aunt now feels so unsafe in London she has returned to Jamaica.’

In his victim impact statement Mr Bartura said worked for 35 years in accountancy, auditing and compliance.

He said: ‘Before the attack I was an active, independent and productive person.

‘In a matter of seconds the attack shattered my psychological and physical wellbeing and hope for the future’.

He said he now relies heavily on his family and cannot leave the house alone due to pain.

Psychologists had considered whether Ali could have stabbed his victims due to anger and concluded that he would not have committed the offences if it was not for his schizoaffective disorder.

Ali, of no fixed address, admitted manslaughter, possession of a knife and two counts of wounding with intent.

In a tribute, Mr McLeggan’s family said: ‘The events of Sunday, 10 November 2024 tipped our lives upside down. The defendant stole a precious, courageous, supportive and loving person when he carried out this atrocious and selfish act. We feel as though we have sleepwalked into and out of a recurring nightmare.

‘Dad was fit, in good health and optimistic about the future. He had an incredible work ethic all of his life, working on well past retirement age. He never gave up on anything or anyone. But dad never got to enjoy the spoils of his labour and enjoy downtime with his family and friends who loved him dearly.

‘In the days after losing our dad, we realised just how much he was depended upon and cherished by so many others. The number of voice messages, unanswered texts and missed calls were a reminder of the many lives’ our dad touched.

‘He was a dear friend and confidant, a go-to guy in times of need.

‘Our dad was not ready to go, nor were we prepared to lose him in such a cruel way. We didn’t get to hug him; tell him we loved him one last time or say goodbye.

‘He had so much vibrancy, love and life to give, which makes his loss exceptionally hard to bear. We will cherish him in our hearts forever.’

Detective Chief Inspector Alison Foxwell, who led the investigation for the Metropolitan Police, said: ‘My thoughts remain with Mr McLeggan’s family and loved ones. The tributes paid to him since his death show just how much he was loved and respected by those who knew him.

‘This was a shocking attack that took place in a busy market on Remembrance Sunday. Officers attended the scene within minutes and arrested the attacker.

‘I want to again thank the members of the public who tried to disarm the attacker and performed first aid on the injured before police officers and paramedics at the scene of this awful incident.’
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