‘Psycho’ locked up indefinitely for killing devoted father in sword attack

A self-confessed “psycho” who stabbed his neighbour 39 times in 39 seconds with a sword after twice attacking another man has been locked up indefinitely.

Abdul Khan, 27, killed devoted father-of-two Bohdan Vandzhura, 49, in July 2023, while in the grip of psychotic hallucinations just months after being sectioned and released.

The killing came after the defendant had launched two random attacks on Santa Shrestha around six months apart.

After both incidents, police failed to identify him as a suspect and he remained at large, jurors were told.

All the incidents happened close to Khan’s home in Harrow, north-west London, the trial heard.

Khan admitted the manslaughter of Mr Vandzhura by reason of diminished responsibility and having a sword.

Following a trial, he was found guilty of the attempted murder of Mr Shrestha.

On Tuesday, Judge Lynn Tayton KC handed him a hospital order with a restriction order for the “protection of the public from serious harm”.

His father, Khalid Khan, 62, was jailed for four years having been convicted of assisting an offender by hiding his son’s bloodied tracksuit and trainers in a garage and lying to police about it.

Sentencing, Judge Tayton said Ukrainian Mr Vandzhura had come to England to work to support his wife and two sons, aged 12 and four.

She said: “On the day he died he was going to work as usual to fulfil his responsibilities.

“His loss has left a huge hole in the life of his wife and children and that of his sister and other family members.”

He had “no chance to defend himself” when Abdul Khan subjected him to a “frenzied assault”, she added.

The judge said that despite Abdul Khan’s delusional thoughts, there was nothing to suggest that Mr Shrestha had done anything wrong.

Referring to the impact on Mr Shrestha, the judge said: “As a result of both attacks he feared for his life in the Harrow area so moved away. When he is out and about he still fears someone will attack him.”

The court had previously heard how Abdul Khan had attacked Mr Shrestha, in August 2022 as he walked along Pinner Road in Harrow.

CCTV footage captured Mr Shrestha being knocked to the ground and repeatedly punched and stamped on him as shopping spilled across the pavement.

Mr Shrestha spent four days in hospital, and was not able to tell police who had attacked him, having suffered from memory loss.

About six months later, Mr Shrestha was inside another shop, metres from the site of the first attack, when Khan punched him in the face in another act of “irrational hostility”.

In May 2023, Abdul Khan was sectioned under the Mental Health Act, having been arrested at a pub for grabbing a man by the throat and threatening to firebomb the venue, the court heard.

He was wrongly diagnosed as having an alcohol-related disorder and, just four days later, he walked free after his father applied for his discharge, jurors were told.

Less than two months later, in July 2023, Mr Vandzhura, who lived next-door to Khan and his father, left home for work at 6.18am.

Khan, carrying a holdall, left his own home a minute later and began following him.

He caught up with Mr Vandzhura less than three minutes later, pulled a large sword from the bag and attacked him from behind.

Shocked members of the public “acted heroically” by shouting and hooting their horns, but Khan could not be stopped, the court heard.

Having run home, Khan was arrested and taken to Broadmoor Hospital after being assessed as being severely mentally ill.

A psychiatrist who later worked with Khan said he was “one of the most mentally unwell men I have treated in my career”.

Khan told the psychiatrist he only failed to kill his first victim because he did not have a weapon on him.

On seeing Mr Shrestha a second time, he was “furious” and thought he would “give him a fair shake”, he said.

He added: “I was a psycho back then – too aggressive and explosive – when sufficiently provoked it results in outbursts of physical violence.”

In a letter to the judge, Khalid Khan expressed his “deepest regret” for his actions, but insisted: “This incident does not define who I am.”

He wrote: “I understand that my behaviour was wrong and I sincerely apologise. I know my choices have not only affected me but those around me and for that I am truly sorry.”

However, prosecutor Hugh Davies KC told the court his offending was at the “most serious end of the spectrum”.

Had Khan remained at large without medical help he would have been “capable of killing, attempting to kill or committing serious violence against another member of the public”, Mr Davies said.