An Afghan national, Dawood Safi, 28, has been detained indefinitely in a secure hospital after admitting manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility for the fatal stabbing of 49-year-old dog walker Wayne Broadhurst in Uxbridge on 27 October 2025. Safi also injured his landlord and a 14-year-old boy during a series of knife attacks while suffering psychotic depression with paranoid delusions and auditory hallucinations. Mrs Justice Cutts recommended deportation, but the Home Secretary will make the final decision. Experts say Safi will likely remain in high-security care for several years and face strict conditions if ever released.
Judge Recommends Deportation After Afghan Refugee Detained Indefinitely Over Fatal Stabbing
Dawood Safi was given an indefinite hospital order [Met Police]
An Afghan national has been detained indefinitely in a secure hospital after admitting manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility for the fatal stabbing of a dog walker in Uxbridge.
Twenty-eight-year-old Dawood Safi admitted to killing 49-year-old Wayne Broadhurst during a sequence of knife attacks that began at Safi's home on 27 October 2025. The attacks also injured Safi's landlord, Shahzad Farrukh, and a 14-year-old boy. Safi was found guilty by a jury of attempting to murder Farrukh and pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm to the teenager and to possession of the knife.
The street cleaner was described as "a gentle and quiet man" [Broadhurst family]
Court Findings and Sentence
Mrs Justice Cutts accepted expert evidence that Safi was suffering from psychotic depression and was in a psychotic state at the time of the offences. The judge imposed an indefinite hospital order with restrictions and recommended that Safi be deported, noting that any final decision on removal rests with the Home Secretary.
"Wayne Broadhurst, a gentle and quiet man, had the misfortune to be walking his dog at the time. As he emerged from the alleyway on to the street, you set upon and killed him in a frenzied, random, and completely unprovoked assault involving stabbing him at least 14 times." — Mrs Justice Cutts
Mental Health Assessment and Future Detention
Medical experts concluded Safi experienced paranoid delusions and auditory hallucinations that contributed to the violent episode. Dr Elliott Carthy, who assessed Safi at Broadmoor, said a hospital order with restrictions was necessary to manage the risk to the public. He estimated Safi would spend at least five years in high-security care before possible transfer to a medium-security facility and that any future release would be subject to strict conditions and lifelong monitoring.
Mrs Justice Cutts recommended Safi be deported, but said the final decision rested with the home secretary [PA Media]
Background
Safi was born in Kapisa province, northern Afghanistan, and was smuggled into the UK in November 2020. He told authorities he was 17 on arrival (he was 22) to improve his asylum prospects. He worked as an Uber driver, studied for a mechanics qualification at Uxbridge College and had no previous convictions since arriving in the UK. In the days before the incident he sought medical help, including a GP appointment, a mental health assessment at Hillingdon Hospital and contact with Hayes police station.
Official Response
A Home Office spokesperson described the attack as "horrific" and "appalling", confirming the court ordered indefinite detention in a secure hospital. The statement said foreign nationals who commit serious offences should expect to face the full force of the law and that deportation would be pursued where legally possible, while emphasising such decisions are taken on a case-by-case basis.
Prosecutors dropped a murder charge after accepting a manslaughter plea on the grounds of diminished responsibility following expert psychiatric reports. The judge said that, but for Safi's mental illness, she would have imposed a life sentence with a minimum term of eight years.
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