A jury has found Dawood Safi, a 28-year-old Uber driver, guilty of attempting to murder his landlord Shahzad Farrukh during a knife rampage in Uxbridge that left dog walker Wayne Broadhurst dead. The attack occurred on October 27, 2025, in Midhurst Gardens, where Safi, suffering from psychosis, stabbed Farrukh in the neck and also injured a 14-year-old boy.
Details of the Attack
Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw KC told Southwark Crown Court that Safi launched an unannounced attack on Farrukh, who was unarmed and caught completely unaware. Safi had been living in Farrukh's annex flat since August 2025. The court heard that Safi was hearing voices and consumed by paranoia and delusional beliefs, including that his family members were controlling and plotting against him.
Minutes after attacking Farrukh and the teenager, Safi encountered Wayne Broadhurst, a 49-year-old street sweeper for Ealing Council, walking his dog Harry. Mr. Broadhurst was stabbed 14 times in the head, neck, chest, and back in what one witness described as a “butchering.” Laidlaw KC said Mr. Broadhurst had the “terrible misfortune” of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Safi's Mental Health and Background
Safi, an Afghan refugee, arrived in the UK in 2020 on the back of a lorry, lying about his age and claiming to be 17. He was granted asylum in 2022. The court heard that Safi witnessed his father being murdered in a land dispute in Afghanistan when he was 10. In the three days before the stabbings, Safi had sought help from his GP, had a mental health assessment at Hillingdon Hospital, and visited Hayes Police Station.
Laidlaw KC noted that at the time of the attacks, Safi had suffered a “collapse in his mental health.” He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility for Mr. Broadhurst's death, as well as grievous bodily harm with intent against Farrukh and actual bodily harm against the teenager. The jury found him guilty of attempted murder of Farrukh and is still deliberating on the charge of attempted murder of the teenager.
Impact and Reactions
Neighbors and passersby attempted to stop Safi during the rampage. Witness Daniella Jarvis told police Safi looked “like he was possessed.” Mr. Broadhurst's family had wanted Safi to be convicted of murder, but prosecutors accepted the manslaughter plea based on evidence of his mental state. Safi appeared via video-link from Broadmoor secure hospital during the trial.
