A paranoid schizophrenic who brutally stabbed a grandmother to death at a busy North London bus stop has been detained indefinitely under mental health legislation. Jala Debella, 24, carried out the fatal attack on medical secretary Anita Mukhey, 66, in front of horrified passers-by on Burnt Oak Broadway in Edgware on May 9, 2024.
Court Hears Disturbing Details of Premeditated Attack
During a hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday, Judge Philip Katz KC sentenced Debella to a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act with an additional restriction order under Section 41, meaning he can be detained without time limit. The court heard that Debella stabbed his victim 18 times before walking away "casually" while bystanders rushed to help the dying woman.
Judge Katz addressed an empty dock as Debella was not present in court, stating: "Anita Mukhey was the heart of the family. She was a wife, mother and grandmother, aged 66 when she was stabbed to death by a complete stranger on a busy main road in north London."
Family's Heartbreaking Statement and Systemic Questions
In a statement read to the court, Ms Mukhey's husband Hari described his wife as the "centre of our home" whose absence had "left silence that nothing can fill." The grandmother-of-two's family raised serious concerns about mental health risk assessment procedures, questioning how Debella could purchase weapons online while living in a staffed, CQC-registered mental health rehabilitation home.
The family statement highlighted: "The court has heard that a man with a severe mental illness was known to services and assessed by consultant psychiatrists as psychologically stable and safe for the community. At the same time, he was engaging in escalating behaviour outside those assessments, including acquiring weapons and researching extreme violence."
Chilling CCTV Evidence and Weapon Purchase
CCTV footage captured Debella walking north along Edgware Road, passing a bus stop before returning to the scene where he attacked Ms Mukhey. Forensic analysis later confirmed that a hunting knife identical to one Debella had purchased online just an hour before the attack contained DNA from both the defendant and his victim.
The court heard disturbing details about Debella's online activities before the attack, including searches for "killing video" and visits to websites containing graphic violent content. Dr Melanie Higgins, Debella's medical consultant, confirmed he had been detained under the Mental Health Act on at least three previous occasions and suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.
Regulatory Gaps and Ongoing Investigations
Chris Badger, chief inspector of adult social care for the Care Quality Commission, extended condolences to the Mukhey family but explained that the services provided at Debella's residential home "did not fall into CQC's scope of regulation" at the time of the incident. An inquest into Ms Mukhey's death has been opened and adjourned while further investigations continue.
Detective Chief Inspector Alex Gammampila from Scotland Yard acknowledged the limited comfort the sentencing provided to the grieving family, stating: "While necessary to protect the public, today's outcome offers little comfort to Anita's family who are left without a much-loved wife, mother and grandmother." He praised the courage of witnesses and first responders who attempted to save Ms Mukhey's life.
Debella has been transferred to Ashworth High Secure Hospital in Merseyside for continued treatment, with the indefinite detention order ensuring he remains in secure psychiatric care for the foreseeable future.
