Judge laments "dreadful irony" of the killing of lecturer as he locks up mentally ill man indefinitely

Killer: Femi Nandap
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A student who stabbed to death a renowned scientist in a random street attack because he thought he was the Messiah has been locked up in a mental hospital indefinitely.

Femi Nandap, 23, repeatedly knifed 41-year-old Dr Jeroen Ensink in the back as he stepped outside to post cards announcing the birth of his 11-day old daughter Fleur.

The Old Bailey heard barefoot Nandap had been cleared of knife and assault charges six days before the attack, on December 29 last year, and may have breached his conditions of bail in the weeks before killing Dr Ensink.

The academic’s widow, Nadja Ensink-Teich, today tearfully demanded an inquiry into why Nandap was free to kill, urging for reform in the handling of cases against defendants with mental health problems.

Nandap had developed a Messianic complex six months before the stabbing, the court heard, and stopped taking his medication two months before killing Dr Ensink.

Nadja Ensink with her husband Dr Jeroen Ensink oh holiday together last August during her pregnancy
PA

Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC, the Recorder of London, ordered Nandap be detained at maximum security Broadmoor Hospital indefinitely for treatment to paranoid schizophrenia.

“It has rightly been said that (Dr Ensink’s) death is a loss to a large proportion of the world’s poor – had he lived his work would have improved the lives of millions”, he said.

“He contributed immensely to try and make a better world for everyone.

“The dreadful irony in this case is that a man who devoted his life to helping people he would never meet was himself killed by a complete stranger.”

The judge said the doctors who assessed Nandap agreed he was suffering from paranoid delusions which “led the defendant to believe he was the Messiah and voices told him he had to kill someone as part of his Messianic mission”

“His mental state is best considered not by a parole board but by the system in place if consideration is given to release from hospital”, he added.

“There can be no saying when or if it will be safe to release you.”

Nandap pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility for the killing of Dr Ensink outside his home in Hilldrop Crescent, Holloway, just after Christmas last year.

Dr Ensink was a lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Medicine and a renowned expert in sanitation and water management in developing countries including Ethiopia, Senegal, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

He had stepped outside to post cards about his daughter’s birth, hoping they would reach the recipients before the New Year. When his wife came outside with baby Fleur half an hour later, she found the road cordoned off and their cards strewn across the pavement.

Nandap approached the academic armed with a knife, and when Dr Ensink tried to flee he stumbled to the ground as he ran around a parked car.

Ms Ensink-Teich broke down in tears as details of the killing were recounted in court – Nandap stabbed her husband repeatedly and was only stopped by the brave intervention of a passing off-duty special constable.

The court heard Nandap had been cleared of possession of a knife and assaulting a police officer six days earlier, relating to an incident in Belsize Park in May when he was accused of holding a knife and then biting on the officer’s finger during arrest.

The Crown Prosecution Service has admitted it was wrong to drop the charges, but insisted Nandap would still have been free to kill Dr Ensink even if the charges had not been dropped.

In a tearful victim impact statement this morning, Ms Ensink-Teich demanded an inquiry into the handling of the case to ensure that it does not happen again.

"This is a terrible tragedy for me and my daughter and family and friends. But this is not a one-off", she said.

"Mental health homicides keep happening again and again. Why has there not been concerted action to address this?

"If a person with a history of mental health problems is found wandering about with a knife and attacks a police officer, then that person much be referred to a secure unit for proper assessment and treatment and not be given bail so easily."

Ms Ensink-Teich, a yoga instructor, flew in from Holland to deliver the statement in person, as her daughter Fleur was cradled by a family member sitting behind her.

"This represents a failure of the health and judicial system that should protect the public and care for those with severe mental illness", she said.

"This may help others from being in the same position my daughter and I now find ourselves in. I hope that our case highlights the necessity to bring about the required changes to existing laws.

"A lesson will not have been learned until concrete changes in legislation will be implemented."

Judge Hilliard, after sentencing, said: “This is not a public inquiry, I don’t have all the facts.

“But I’ve heard Ms Ensink-Teich’s concerns as she outlined them to me, and I express the hope those in a position to do so will investigate all the aspects of this case and the appropriate lessons will be learned.”

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson QC said earlier that CPS staff have been given advise on handling diffciult charging decisions, and also the issue of monitoring adherence to bail conditions.

Nandap, who lived in Woolwich, was flanked by mental health professionals and security guards as he was led away after sentencing.

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