Boy, 16, In Court Charged With Murder Of Muslim Woman Who was Stabbed More Than 15 Times

The Daily Mail reports on a 16-year-old boy who has appeared before Chelmsford Crown Court charged with two murders; that of a Muslim PhD student, Nahid Almanea and a father-of-five, James Attfield, in Colchester last year.

Ms Almanea, who wore a hijab, was brutally stabbed to death 16 times with a knife on the morning of June 17 and left to die as she walked along a quiet lane near the University of Essex campus. Police at the time speculated about her Islamic dress being a factor in the crime suggesting she may have been singled out because of her hijab.

During her post-mortem examination it was revealed that the cause of death were two fatal knife wounds, as well as 14 other stab wounds to her body, neck, head and arms.

Mr Attfield was stabbed to death in March 2014 when he was found in Colchester’s Lower Castle Park having been stabbed 102 times.

Following the two murders police feared the perpetrator was randomly targeting members of the public.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested last week on the same path in Colchester where Ms Almanea was murdered on suspicion of carrying an offensive weapon.

The teenager has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of possessing an offensive weapon.