Metropolitan police missed numerous chances to save a woman from her ex-husband in the six years before he killed her with a crossbow, according to a damning report.
Sana Muhammad, 35, was eight months pregnant when Ramanoj Unmatalegadu, then 51, broke into her home and shot an arrow in her stomach in November 2018.
Mrs Mohammed suffered catastrophic internal injuries and died, but her unborn son was delivered by caesarean section and survived.
Unmathallegadoo, a former senior nurse at Newham General Hospital in east London, was convicted of murder in November 2019 and jailed for life with a minimum term of 33 years.
Sana Muhammad (pictured), 35, was eight months pregnant when Ramanoj Unmatalegadu, then 51, broke into her home and shot an arrow in her abdomen in November 2018.
Unmathallegadoo (above), a former senior nurse at Newham General Hospital in east London, was convicted of murder in November 2019 and jailed for life with a minimum term of 33 years
Ms Mohammed was 17 and Unmatalegadoo was 31 when they entered into an arranged marriage in 1999 in Mauritius, where they were both born, before divorcing in 2014.
A Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) report revealed the Met Police missed opportunities to protect Ms Mohammed between 2012 and 2018, including collecting an Unmathallegadoo-related “burglary kit” found outside the home to his ex-wife the year before the murder.
According to the report, drawn up by Redbridge Council and chaired by ex-constable Bill Griffiths, Mrs Mohammed called police to her home in February 2012, telling them she “didn’t feel safe” around her husband.
She added to the operator that her mother told her this morning that Unmathallegadoo told her: “The way I feel right now, I could kill someone, do you want me to go to jail?”
Mr Griffiths wrote in the report that the expectation was to carry out a risk assessment after the call, but this was not done.
“The record does not show the reason why this did not happen,” the DHR author said.
In March 2012, a police officer is understood to have given Mrs Mohammed “strong words” about using the emergency system correctly after she called police to report verbal abuse from her husband, before to tell the visiting officer that there is no firm basis for phoning.
The outcome of the visit was recorded as “no reason for police action”.
The DHR report found: “On this occasion, an opportunity to record the domestic violence incident and share information with partner agencies was missed.”
The panel “asked” whether the council’s “strong words” may have “impeded” Ms Mohammed’s communication with police after listening to future calls she made in which she appeared to be “reticent” to provide information.
Mrs Mohammed suffered catastrophic internal injuries and died, but her unborn son (pictured) was delivered by caesarean section and survived
In March 2018, the same citizen found two crossbows, crossbow arrows, a harpoon and a bottle of acid in the same stash, according to the report
In November 2017, a member of the public discovered a hidden rucksack in the street behind Ms Mohammed’s home, which contained “a set of new-looking keys, PVA glue, binoculars, petrolatum, rubbish bags, a large shopping bag, tape, hex keys and a barrel of lubricant …a box of unopened prescription drugs in the full name of (Unmathallegadoo).
The DHR report said: “After visiting the site and collecting the items, the two officers returned to the police station and instead of recording the property found as required, they disposed of it in the trash cans in the backyard.
“Other than the original entry in the CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) system, no report of the find or circumstances has been made under any of the police indexes. No further inquiries were made and no reports were generated.
“If the officers had made a proper recording, it is possible, but by no means certain, that it could have led to the identification of (Unmathallegadoo) through the prescription and that could have led to questioning as to the purpose of the items found.”
The DHR report described the disposal of the “burglary kit” as a “missed opportunity” to conclude that Unmathallegadoo was conducting surveillance with the possible intent to commit a burglary.
It continued: “In retrospect, the failure to properly register the property discovered on the occasion of the first report can be seen as influencing the final outcome.
“This was not an example of forgetfulness, inexperience or lack of training, rather it appears to be a deliberate act to avoid ‘paperwork’, although the pressures of work may have contributed to the decision.”
Mrs Mohammed called the police to her home (pictured) in February 2012, telling them she “didn’t feel safe” around her husband
In February 2021, a misconduct hearing was held for the two officers, in which they admitted failing to record the property. The panel decided to deal with the breach through “management action” to ensure staff handle the property in line with the policy in the future.
In March 2018, the same citizen found two crossbows, crossbow arrows, a harpoon and a bottle of acid in the same stash, 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 in the police systems.
The report makes several recommendations, including that the Met Police design and provide “reinforcement training” for handling found property and that the Home Office review the law on the acquisition of crossbows and consider a licensing scheme.
The Met Police outlined the recommendations in a statement and said: “The Met has accepted all 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 progress recently. Across the Met, there are specialist teams of officers who work around the clock to support victims and carry out investigations to bring perpetrators to justice.
The force also said: “Our sincere condolences remain with the family of Sana Mohammed following her murder in Redbridge in 2018.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “Our sympathies go out to Ms Mohammed’s family.
“We are considering options to strengthen control over crossbows. The government is reviewing all relevant laws to maintain public safety.
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