Afghan migrant who killed dog walker after landlord row sentenced

DAILYMAIL.COM • 3h ago

By RYAN HOOPER, CRIME CORRESPONDENT 14:43 05 Oct 2026, updated 16:48 05 Oct 2026

An Afghan migrant who stabbed a dog walker to death after attempting to murder his landlord in a ‘random, frenzied and entirely unprovoked attack’ has been handed an indefinite hospital order.

Uber driver Dawood Safi, who arrived in the UK illegally six years ago, was in the grip of psychosis and said by witnesses to be ‘dead between the eyes’ when he fatally stabbed Wayne Broadhurst in a ‘ferocious’ daytime knife rampage in October last year.

Mr Broadhurst’s beloved spaniel Harry kept vigil by his body as he bled to death in front of horrified neighbours.

Moments earlier, Safi left his landlord Shahzad Farrukh bloodied, barely conscious and fighting for his life after stabbing him several times in his neck, chest and back.

Safi, 28, turned violent after being told by Thames Valley Police contractor Mr Farrukh that he had to leave his rented accommodation within days.

Safi’s guilty plea to the manslaughter of Mr Broadhurst on the grounds of diminished responsibility was accepted by prosecutors – something the victim’s family remain upset about, given he was originally charged with murder – and was found guilty following a trial of the attempted murder of his landlord.

Jurors were unable to reach a decision on whether or not Safi was guilty of attempting to murder a 14-year-old boy who was caught up in the rampage in Hillingdon, west London, on October 27.

Sentencing Safi at Southwark Crown Court today, the Honourable Mrs Justice Cutts said: ‘The consequences of your actions have been devastating.’

The stabbing spree unfolded at his landlord’s home before it spilled into the street in front of terrified onlookers, with one witness describing how Safi looked ‘like he was possessed’.

Southwark Crown Court heard Mr Farrukh, 45, was stabbed in the neck, and he and the injured teenager – who cannot be named – managed to get away and took refuge with neighbours as members of the public attempted to stop Safi.

Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw KC said Liverpool FC fan Mr Broadhurst, 49, had the ‘terrible misfortune’ of walking by while Safi was on the rampage.

He said: ‘For no apparent reason, rational or otherwise, he was stabbed to death in a frenzied, random and entirely unprovoked attack. Mr Broadhurst died in the street, with the dog by his side.’

The victim, who worked as a street sweeper for Ealing Council and was described by the judge as a ‘gentle, quiet man’, was stabbed 14 times in the head, neck, chest and back by Safi, in an attack one witness described as a ‘butchering’.

Safi was then Tasered by police, and was said to have ‘a glazed expression on his face and he did not appear to understand or to acknowledge the police commands’.

He later admitted grievous bodily harm with intent on Mr Farrukh, actual bodily harm against the teenage boy, who cannot be named because of his age, and possession of the knife.

The court heard Safi lied about his age when he arrived in the UK on the back of a lorry in 2020, claiming to be 17. He was subsequently granted asylum in 2022.

However, it is believed he was at least five years older than the age he gave to officials after arriving in Britain.

Safi initially claimed his father was murdered by the Taliban, and that he had also been ‘harassed’ by them in his homeland.

He left Afghanistan in 2018, spending two years making his way to the UK via Iran, Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The court heard his cousins told him what to tell the UK authorities ‘in order to maximise his chances’ for being granted leave to remain.

He subsequently told a psychiatrist his father’s murder was actually carried out by a family member in a land dispute in Afghanistan – something he said he witnessed as a ten-year-old.

And he came to the UK because he was struggling to get work in his homeland.

Prosecutor Mr Laidlaw said at the time of the Uxbridge stabbings Safi had suffered a ‘collapse in his mental health’.

Mr Laidlaw said: ‘The defendant was hearing voices, he’d become consumed by paranoia and delusional beliefs which included that people generally and members of his family in this country were both controlling him and plotting against him.’

Safi moved into Mr Farrukh’s annex flat in Midhurst Gardens at the start of August 2025.

In the three days before the stabbings, Safi had attended an appointment at his GP, he had a mental health assessment at Hillingdon Hospital, and he had sought help at Hayes Police Station.

Mr Laidlaw said Safi had believed Mr Farrukh might help him thanks to his role with the police.

At around 4.45pm on October 27, Mr Farrukh entered the kitchen of his home and saw Safi’s silhouette through the glass door leading to the annex.

Mr Farrukh opened the door and found himself a few feet from Safi, who was already armed with a large kitchen knife.

‘He launched an unannounced attack on Mr Farrukh, who was unarmed and was caught completely unaware,’ said Mr Laidlaw.

Safi made comments as he carried out the knife attack, suggesting he was angry at Mr Farrukh for not accompanying him to the police station earlier that day.

As the incident unfolded, neighbours heard shouts and went to investigate the disturbance.

One witness, Daniella Jarvis, told police Safi looked ‘like he was possessed’.

Ann Newman, Mr Broadhurst’s long-term partner, said in her witness statement how her future had been ‘stolen’ from her.

She said birthdays, family celebrations and other milestones brought ‘painful reminders of the person who should still be here’.

She added: ‘No words can fully express the pain my family and I have endured since Wayne was taken from us.’

The court was told Mr Broadhurst’s family had wanted Safi to be convicted of murder but prosecutors accepted his guilty plea to the lesser charge of manslaughter after receiving evidence about the state of his mental health.

Laura Ireland-Cochrane, Ms Newman’s sister, added: ‘We understand the court has to consider the evidence to reach its legal decision but as a family this has been extremely difficult to accept.’

She said the family was anxious about the possibility of Safi ever being released.

The judge said Safi’s psychosis was the sole cause of his offending, and that a prison sentence was not appropriate.

She said Safi could expect to spend ‘several years’ in a high security hospital setting and may never be released into the community.

She also recommended Safi be deported in the event he was released, adding: ‘Your continued presence in the UK is to its detriment.’

The court heard he had no previous convictions and did not use illegal substances.

Safi appeared for the hearing via videolink from Broadmoor Hospital, where he has been for much of his time in custody.

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