‘Emotionless’ teen followed young mum before 'ferociously' stabbing her in front of five-year-old son

A teen followed a young mum as she walked with her five-year-old son before ferociously stabbing her. Hasan Arif, 19, who had been showing increasingly bizarre behaviour in the days leading up to the brutal attack, has since been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

In August 2020, as the then 24-year-old woman walked hand-in-hand with her little boy through Withington, she noticed Arif, then 17, walking behind her. Despite crossing the road and issuing a warning to him, he got closer and closer to her, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

Feeling his presence directly behind her, she turned and saw his ‘emotionless’ face, before he brandished a large knife and stabbed at her repeatedly. She fell backwards and kicked out at him, but he continued lashing out.

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Fortunately a member of the public who heard the woman screaming from down the road intervened and chased Arif away. Greater Manchester Police released a media CCTV appeal days later and Arif’s own brother handed him in.

Pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent, Arif was handed a hospital order with a restriction order due to his mental health diagnosis.

Sara Haque, prosecuting, told the court that Arif was first showing mental health issues at the age of 14, when he stopped eating following bullying comments at school. The behaviour gradually became worse, but his mum noticed a dramatic change three to four weeks before the attack.

“She says his behaviour increased, he was excessively using his phone to the extent his family took it from him, he was pacing around the house and drinking a gallon of milk saying it was to build up his muscles to protect himself,” she said.