UK Court Orders Indefinite Hospital Stay For Man Who Killed His Indian-Origin Girlfriend

A Tunisian man who stabbed and killed his 19-year-old Indian-origin girlfriend in 2022 has been given an indefinite hospital order by a UK court.

Sabita Thanwani, an aspiring psychologist, was stabbed in the neck by 24-year-old Maher Maaroufe at her student accommodation in Clerkenwell, east London, on March 19, 2022, Sky News reported.

Sabita died at the scene, and a post-mortem later found the cause of death was a sharp force trauma to the neck, according to the report.

The Tunisian national was not a student and had been in a relationship with Sabita at the time of the attack, the report said.

He was suffering from schizoaffective disorder at the time and admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, the BBC reported.

On Monday, Judge Nigel Lickley sentenced Maaroufe at the Old Bailey court in London to a hospital order without a time limit, the report said.

An hospital order is a court order which is used to force a person to go hospital for assessment or treatment for a mental illness.

"Sabita had her whole life ahead of her. You ended her life. Your actions will continue to cause enduring pain and suffering," the judge said.

He said Maaroufe had been "aggressive" and "controlling" towards Sabita during their relationship and hit her at least once. He added that Maaroufe carried out the attack during the "height" of a psychotic episode.

The court heard that Maaroufe entered the UK legally on an unknown date but had overstayed and was in the process of claiming asylum at the time of the attack. 

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