An 18-year-old Afghan refugee from Leeds travelled more than 150 miles to confront and fatally stab a man his family had accused of stalking, a court has heard. Sulaiman Tajzai is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of murdering Farmanullah Sherzad, 26, in central London on March 27.
Opening the case on Monday, prosecutor Lisa Wilding KC said Tajzai had travelled to the victim's home in Westminster, armed with a kitchen knife. He allegedly attacked and repeatedly stabbed Mr Sherzad, who had been the subject of multiple complaints by family members.
Prosecution describes sustained and brutal attack
Referring to Tajzai, Ms Wilding said: "His actions that day were neither a coincidence nor spontaneous. He travelled to London armed with that knife, waited for his target outside his home and then confronted him in a sustained and brutal attack that led to Mr Sherzad's immediate death."
Shortly before 10.15pm, police were called to reports of a stabbing in Abbey Orchard Street. They found Mr Sherzad "lying on his side in a pool of blood with a large kitchen knife stuck in the left side of his chest", Ms Wilding said. He had suffered multiple stab wounds and died from his injuries.
Defendant's journey and knife purchase
Earlier that day, the defendant had bought the knife from a shop near his Leeds home, jurors were told. Shortly before 5pm, he was allegedly caught on CCTV arriving at London's King's Cross station wearing a medical facemask, a distinctive jacket and dark gloves. He was tracked on CCTV walking across London before reaching Mr Sherzad's home in Abbey Orchard Street, Ms Wilding said.
The prosecutor outlined the background to alleged animosity against Mr Sherzad dating back to the autumn of 2025. She said there was a clear "pre-existing connection" between the defendant's cousin's wife and Mr Sherzad which had "turned sour".
Previous police reports and arrest
The cousin and his wife had reported him to police in Leeds on September 22 last year, showing an officer an image of the victim and text messages in Arabic. When spoken to privately, the wife deleted the texts, refused to sign a statement and left the police station, the court heard.
Last October 3, police officers attended the couple's home in Leeds and found Mr Sherzad sitting on the floor with his wrists tied together with fabric and no shoes on, jurors heard. Mr Sherzad was arrested on suspicion of stalking and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence, the court heard. However, he went on to claim to be in a relationship with the wife, saying he had come to Leeds to visit after she had invited him on social media platform Snapchat.
Following his release, the defendant's cousin and his wife contacted the police multiple times and were later told there would be "no further action" against Mr Sherzad. Tajzai had allegedly travelled from Leeds to London with his cousin on January 9 and 21. They stayed for a few hours each time near the convenience store where Mr Sherzad worked in south London and his home address, the court was told.
Tajzai, of Temperance Hall, Leeds, was assisted in the dock by an interpreter. He denies murder and possession of a knife. The Old Bailey trial continues.
