Manslaughter plea accepted in dog walker killing
Dawood Safi has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of a dog walker in west London, with the prosecution accepting a plea of diminished responsibility due to a psychotic state. Safi will face a separate trial for attempted murder charges related to other victims.
Why it matters
The case highlights complex legal and mental health intersections within the criminal justice system, particularly regarding cases of diminished responsibility.
Image source, Greener Ealing Image caption, Wayne Broadhurst died at the scene
A man has admitted killing a dog walker in what prosecutors described as a "frenzy of violence" in west London.
Dawood Safi, 28, fatally stabbed 49-year-old Wayne Broadhurst on 27 October 2025. Earlier that day he had attacked his 45-year-old landlord, Shahzad Farrukh, and a teenage boy in Midhurst Gardens, Uxbridge.
Safi pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Broadhurst on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to his psychotic state - which has been accepted by the prosecution.
He will stand trial before a jury at Southwark Crown Court on charges of attempting to murder Farrukh and the 14-year-old boy.
For the prosecution, Jonathan Laidlaw KC told the court four mental health experts had concluded Safi suffered a "complete mental collapse" during the incident.
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