The trial of a man accused of murdering a 'devoted' father-of-11 in Cardiff has heard that the defendant believed there was a device planted inside him which was reading his thoughts.
Ibrahim Yassin, 64, was pronounced dead after police were called to his home in Belmont Walk, Cardiff, on February 18, 2024. He was found with stab wounds virtually all over his body.
Mujeeb Hassani, 40, of Cliff Court, Butetown, has pleaded not guilty to murder and manslaughter. His trial started on Monday, August 10, at Cardiff Crown Court.
Defence expert diagnoses schizophrenia
During day three of the trial on Thursday, the court heard evidence from defence expert witness and consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr John Crosby. The witness said he has diagnosed Hassani with schizophrenia.
The court heard the defendant had symptoms of auditory, visual and olfactory hallucinations, complex paranoid delusional beliefs and thought interference. Throughout his treatment, Hassani claimed to have the belief there was a device planted inside him which was reading his thoughts and monitoring them externally. The defendant also claimed he had experiences of being able to read the minds of others.
Prosecution case
Opening his case, Mr John Hipkin KC said that Hassani left his home armed with a knife at around 7am after attending morning prayers at the Butetown Islamic Centre. The jury was told that CCTV footage from the centre on the morning of February 18, 2024, showed that the two men were spotted at the Islamic Centre for morning prayers. However, no obvious interaction could be seen between them.
The court was then told that Mr Yassin was stabbed at home later that morning and that he suffered stab wounds to virtually all parts of his body. Continuing the prosecution's case, Mr Hipkin went on to tell the jury the defendant attempted to run away with his hand wrapped in a pink towel before trying to get into a woman's car.
During proceedings, the jury also heard from Mr Hipkin that Hassani had been detained under the mental health act prior to the incident but was released on February 15, 2024, despite concerns from consultant psychiatrist Dr Matthew Hoskins, who told a mental health tribunal at the time that the defendant posed a risk to himself and others and had 'poor compliance' with taking medication.
Defendant's history
The court heard Hassani is an Afghan national with two wives and children, who remain in Afghanistan where they are hiding from the Taliban. The defendant has no history of using illicit substances or alcohol.
Since May 2023, he has been detained three times at the psychiatric intensive care unit at Hafan y Coed, a specialist mental health unit at Llandough Hospital. In May 2023, he was taken to the unit by police due to concerns about his safety after he was shouting and smashing things at the hotel where he was staying. The police thought he was suffering a psychotic episode and he reported seeing satan.
When assessed, Hassani spoke about people poisoning him, black magic, and being suffocated by an unknown force when attempting to prey. On June 28, 2023, Hassani was intercepted by police at the Channel Tunnel, and said he was intending to cycle to Mecca. He later told his brother he had a desire to 'go on the Hajj' and had £300 in cash which he was going to use to buy a bike.
While he was being transported back to Cardiff by police, he grabbed the driver of the vehicle by the throat and attempted to grab the steering wheel. In August, 2023, Hassani said he believed staff at the place where he was living were poisoning his food. When he attended a job centre he made bizarre remarks, saying he wanted to travel to Saudi Arabia to meet the Crown Prince.
In January 2024, Hassani was found up to chest in the River Taff in Cardiff, and there were concerns he was going to drown himself. He was removed from the river and was described as 'perplexed' and 'confused'. The defendant was detained at Hafan y Coed, and said people were trying to poison him. He also told staff a ghost or spirit had pushed him into the river or it had been done by magic.
After the killing
After killing Mr Yassin, Hassani was taken to hospital and told a doctor he had killed someone with a knife. When told by police he had killed Mr Yassin, Hassani said 'I done it because of God.' When told he had been accused of killing another person, he said Mr Yassin had died 'due to God's will'. He said he had not known the man prior to killing him and made reference to 'heaven, hell and a third dimension'.
Defence barrister Thomas Crowther KC said Hassani made reference to Mr Yassin being the 'keyholder to the mosque' and claimed he had 'ripped pages out of the Qur'an' and put them in the 'wash basin or toilet'. Mr Crowther made it clear that Mr Yassin had not defaced the Qur'an, with no evidence of this shown on the CCTV footage.
Dr Crosby said it is possible that Mr Yassin had been 'incorporated into Hassani's delusional beliefs', and the defendant had been suffering from either delusions or hallucinations. The witness said it was possible Hassani believed Mr Yassin was someone who was persecuting him or meant him harm.
At the time of his death Mr Yassin was a caretaker at the South Wales Islamic Centre in Butetown and was a popular and well-regarded man among the Somali community in Cardiff. In a family statement released through police, Mr Yassin's family described him as a 'cherished father, deeply adored by his children'. The trial continues.
