A former psychiatric hospital patient who stabbed two mosque worshippers and a police constable in a frenzied attack has been detained under the Mental Health Act.
Mohamoud Elmi, of Ward End Hall Grove, Washwood Heath, lashed out at members of the Madrassa Qasim Ul Uloom centre, Washwood Heath Road, on June 15 after he’d accused people of praying “too loudly”.
A jury at Birmingham Crown Court found the 32-year-old not guilty of two charges of attempted murder and one of wounding with intent by reason of insanity.
One of two mental health consultants who assessed Elmi during the trial described the attack as the “worst case of psychotic behaviour I’ve ever witnessed”.
Mrs Justice Carr today ordered Elmi to be detained under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983.
He will receive medical treatment at the Tamarind Centre in Bordesley Green.
The hospital order is unlimited in time. Justice Carr said the restriction order was necessary to protect the public from serious harm.
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Mrs Justice Carr said: “It was a night Mr Mumtaz, My Bhayat and PC Koch will never forget. You subjected them to a terrifying ordeal.
“It is clear you were severely mentally ill at the time, suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.”
The defendant carried out the attacks eight months after he was discharged into the community from a psychiatric hospital.
On Monday night the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust said a “thorough investigation” had been conducted since the attacks.
A spokeswoman said lessons had been learned, including listening to concerns raised by families and keeping better records between inpatient and community teams.
