Met Police 'missed chances' to protect pregnant mum killed by ex with crossbow

21 January 2023 , 23:08

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Sana Muhammad was killed by her ex-husband (Image: PA)

Met Police 'missed chances' to defend a woman from her ex-husband who ended up killing her with a crossbow at her home, a report has claimed.

Sana Muhammad was eight months pregnant when 51-year-old ex-husband Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo broke into her home inIlford, east London, and shot her in the stomach with a crossbow in November 2018.

The 35-year-old died from catastrophic internal injuries, but her unborn child miraculously survived after being born by Caesarian section, MyLondon reports.

Unmathallegadoo was later convicted of murder in November 2019, and the former senior nurse was given a minimum prison sentence of 33 years.

Sana and her killer had entered an arranged marriage in 1999 when Sana was 17 and Unmathallegadoo was 31, and then divorced in 2014.

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Sana Muhammad and husband Imtiaz Muhammad (Facebook)

Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo (PA)

Now, a domestic homicide review (DHR) has shown that Met Police missed chances to protect Sana in the years leading up to her murder.

This included binning a “burglary kit” which was linked to Unmathallegadoo and discovered outside his ex-wife’s home the year before the killing.

According to the report, conducted by Redbridge Council and chaired by former police officer Bill Griffiths, Ms Muhammad called police to her home in February 2012 telling them she “did not feel safe” around her husband.

She added to the call handler her mother had told her that morning that Unmathallegadoo had said to her: “The way I am feeling right now, I could kill someone, do you want me to go to jail?”

Mr Griffiths wrote in the report that the expectation would have been that a risk assessment should take place following the call, but this was not done.

Court sketch of Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo (Julia Quenzler/SWNS.COM)

“The record does not show the reason this did not happen,” the DHR author said.

In March 2012, it is understood that an officer gave Ms Muhammad “strong words of advice” about the correct use of the emergency system after she called the police to report verbal aggression from her husband, before telling the visiting officer that she had no firm basis for phoning.

The result of the visit was recorded as “no cause for police action”.

The DHR report found: “On this occasion, an opportunity was missed to make a domestic abuse incident record and to share information with partner agencies.”

The panel “queried” whether the “strong words of advice” may have “hindered” Ms Muhammad’s communication with the police, after listening to future calls she made in which she seemed to be “holding back” on providing information.

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In November 2017, a member of the public found a hidden rucksack on the street behind Ms Muhammad’s home that contained “a set of new-looking keys, PVA glue, binoculars, Vaseline, bin bags, large shopping bag, duct tape, Allen keys and barrel lube…a box of unopened prescription medication in (Unmathallegadoo’s) full name”.

The DHR report said: “Having attended the location and collected the items, the two officers returned to the police station and, instead of recording the found property as required, they disposed of it in the refuse bins in the rear yard.

“Apart from the original record on the CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) system, no report of the find or the circumstances were made on any of the police indices. No further inquiries were made and no reports generated.

“Had the officers correctly made a record it is feasible, but by no means certain, that it could have led to (Unmathallegadoo) being identified through the prescription and that may have led to questioning about the purpose of the items found.”

The DHR report described the disposal of the “burglary kit” as a “missed opportunity” to infer that Unmathallegadoo had been conducting surveillance with the possible intent to commit burglary.

It went on: “With the benefit of hindsight, the failure to correctly record the property found on the occasion of the first report could be seen as influencing the final outcome.

“This was not an example of forgetfulness, inexperience or lack of training, rather, it seems a deliberate act to avoid ‘paperwork’, albeit that pressure of work may have contributed to the decision.”

A misconduct hearing was conducted in February 2021 in respect of both officers in which they admitted not recording the property. The panel decided to deal with the breach by way of “management action” to ensure the officers handled property in line with policy in the future.

Sana's baby son was delivered after she died

In March 2018, the same member of the public found two crossbows, crossbow arrows, a harpoon and a bottle of acid in the same hiding place, according to the report.

The police were called and the items were recorded correctly but the find was not linked to the previous one because there was no cross-reference available on police systems.

The report made several recommendations including that the Met Police design and provide “reinforcement training” on handling found property and that the Home Office review the law on crossbow acquisition and consider a licensing scheme.

The Met Police outlined the recommendations in a statement and said: “The Met has accepted all of these points and work has been undertaken, or is ongoing, to ensure they are implemented.

“Tackling violence, particularly against women and girls, is a key priority for the Met and an area where we have made great strides in recent times. Across the Met there are dedicated teams of officers working around the clock to support victims and carrying out enquiries to bring perpetrators to justice.”

The force also said: “Our sincere condolences remain with the family of Sana Muhammad following her murder in Redbridge in 2018.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We express our sympathies to Ms Muhammad’s loved ones.

“We are considering options on strengthening the controls on crossbows. The government keeps all relevant laws under review to maintain public safety.”

PA