Jalal Debella received an indefinite hospital order for the crime but could be re-tried in future if doctors deem him fit enough to stand trial

A man who fatally stabbed a grandmother after ordering the knife online has been found responsible for her death.

Jalal Debella, aged 25 and of Colindale, had been living in a rehabilitation home to support people with mental health issues. He left Anita Mukhey for dead after stabbing her up to 18 times at a bus stop in Edgware on 9th May 2024.

Debella had an interest in violence, trawling the internet before and after the killing for violent videos – as well as news articles about the stabbing.

He was arrested within hours of Anita’s death and detectives built a strong case using CCTV, DNA and evidence from his internet use.

At the Old Bailey yesterday (Thursday 22nd), a jury found him responsible for 66-year-old Anita’s death and possession of the knife. It followed a four-day ‘trial of fact’ after a judge deemed him unfit to stand trial.

Debella received an indefinite hospital order today (Friday 23rd) and could be re-tried in future if doctors deem him fit enough to stand trial.

Detective Chief Inspector Alex Gammampila, who led the investigation, said: “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.

“I want to recognise the dignity and courage they have shown over the past 20 months.

“I also want to thank the members of the public who tried to help Anita that day, the witnesses who came forward, and the first responders. Your actions, your compassion and your evidence truly mattered.”

Anita’s family released a statement which said: “Many of us know what it means to have a mother who is the heart of the family. That was true for us.

“We are grateful that today’s proceedings have now concluded, and we would like to thank the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for their work throughout this process.

“As this case has unfolded, certain deeply troubling facts have emerged. 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 — behaviour that ultimately mirrored the violence he later carried out.

“That disconnect is hard to accept. It raises serious questions about how risk is assessed, and about whether current models are equipped to detect danger that develops beyond the spoken words of the consulting room.

“The court has also heard that, while living in a staffed, CQC-registered mental health rehabilitation home, he was able to purchase weapons online, which were received within that setting and passed on to him. Whether that is right, lawful, or safe is not something this trial has examined — but it is something that must now be properly scrutinised.

“We recognise that these questions fall outside the scope of today’s proceedings. We want to be clear that our family stands ready to assist the coroner in any future inquest, in the interests of learning lessons and strengthening public protection.

“There is so much good in this country. And it is precisely because of that good that we must do better.”

Anita was waiting at a bus stop when she was stabbed by Debella at around 11.45am on 9th May 2024. The knife he used to kill her was ordered from the internet and had that morning been delivered to the mental health residential home where he was living.

Computer records obtained by detectives showed he checked the Royal Mail tracking website four times before it was delivered shortly before 10.45am.

He left his care home at 11.20am. In CCTV shown to the jury he was seen at 11.40am walking past the bus stop where Anita — who was not known to him — was waiting, before returning two minutes’ later.

Eyewitnesses spoke of seeing an altercation between two people at the bus stop, before the man launched his attack. Ms Mukhey died at the scene, despite the efforts of paramedics to save her life.

Debella fled towards his care home, dumping the knife in a bin outside.

He was arrested at the residential facility at 4.46pm, after officers recognised him from CCTV. DNA evidence from the knife and his clothing also linked him to the killing.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else. £84 annual supporters get a print copy by post and a digital copy of each month's before anyone else.