Father-of-four who was stabbed in the chest by schizophrenic armed with Samurai sword ‘while police sat in their cars’ condemns bravery awards for officers who shot him with Taser as ‘a joke’
- Ifran Malik, 39, said he would not have been stabbed if police had done their job
- Attacker Ali Bhatti today sentenced to indefinite detention in a secure hospital
- The paranoid schizophrenic had phoned 999 three times saying he wanted to kill
- PC Ryan Oakley and Sergeant James Arrol-Barker got awards for their response
A father-of-four who was stabbed in the chest by a schizophrenic armed with a Samurai sword after police failed to respond in time to 999 calls described bravery awards for officers as ‘a joke’.
Irfan Malik, 39, said he would not have been stabbed – an inch from his heart – if the police had done their job.
It comes as his attacker, Ali Bhatti, was today sentenced to indefinite detention in a secure hospital after being convicted at Hove Crown Court of one count of attempted murder, one count of grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
Bhatti, a paranoid schizophrenic, was already on bail for having a dagger in a public place when he phoned 999 three times saying he was armed and wanted to kill in October last year.
Police failed to respond when Bhatti made his first 999 call despite the dagger conviction just days earlier. He then made two more calls the following day saying he wanted to kill police and making threats against his local mosque.
While still on the phone to police, Bhatti left his house and drove a motorcycle towards the Broadfield Roundabout in Crawley, where he crashed. He then started walking through traffic along Horsham Road, waving the Samurai sword in the air.
Mr Malik leapt from his car and confronted Bhatti in a bid to prevent anyone being injured.
Paranoid schizophrenic Ali Bhatti (pictured) will be detained indefinitely in a secure hospital after a jury convicted him of attempting to murder Mr Malik and wounding another man with intent
Bhatti used a Samurai sword in Crawley on Friday, October 22 last year to attack two innocent members of the public
As he faced Bhatti, the former youth worker realised he knew him but did not get a chance to talk him down before he was stabbed with the sword which caused serious injuries to his chest and forearm.
Mr Malik said: ‘He recognised me but he kept looking over my shoulder and he was saying he’d done nothing wrong.
‘I was looking right in his eyes. When I turned around to see what he was looking at, that’s when he stabbed me.’
Bhatti continued the unprovoked attack and slashed at a second man, aged 61, who was walking along the footpath nearby, inflicting a large wound to his shoulder.
PC Ryan Oakley and Sergeant James Arrol-Barker were the first officers on the scene. They approached the armed suspect and deployed their Taser multiple times before it took effect and Bhatti fell to the ground.
As soon as he did, the officers placed him in handcuffs, seized the weapon, and sought medical treatment for the two victims.
In recognition of their bravery, the two officers were named as the South East regional winners of the 2022 Police Federation Bravery Awards for their actions in detaining the armed suspect.
But Mr Malik condemned the police response as ‘a joke’, saying: ‘They sat in their cars and we ran past them.
PC Ryan Oakley (second from left) and Sergeant James Arrol-Barker (second from right) were named as the South East regional winners of the 2022 Police Federation Bravery Awards for their actions in detaining the armed suspect but victim Irfan Malik said the police response was ‘a joke’
‘If the police had done their duty, we wouldn’t be here today and I wouldn’t have been stabbed.
‘They should’ve been on his door in seconds.
‘They waited once, twice, three times and still they did nothing.’
In an extraordinary move, the jury at Hove Trial Centre wrote to the judge after convicting Bhatti to express their concerns about the police response and investigation.
Following his arrest police failed to take blood samples from Bhatti despite his claims to have taken drugs.
The jury wrote: ‘We would like to express our concerns about the conduct of the police investigation and this case.
‘Namely: Mr Bhatti’s pleas for help expressed in 999 calls were not acted upon in a timely fashion.
‘Mr Bhatti’s claim of a threat made against him via phone was not properly investigated.
‘No evidence of Mr Bhatti’s drug use was gathered other than own admission.
‘No toxicology was carried out on Mr Bhatti’s blood sample taken when arrested.’
Judge Henson QC said she shared their concerns and added: ‘These are concerns which need to be addressed by the police and what lessons can be learned going forward.’
Terrifying footage shows the moment Bhatti faced down police and motorists after attacking the two men – before he was blasted with a Taser and arrested
Bhatti (pictured) was already on bail for having a dagger in a public place when he phoned 999 three times saying he was armed and wanted to kill in October last year
Sussex Police denied any misconduct by officers in the response to the incident but an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) review found the force had lessons to learn on the grading of 999 calls.
Sussex Police decided using a Taser on Bhatti for a second time while he was already handcuffed and face down on the ground was necessary and proportionate.
The lack of toxicology evidence in the case is under review.
Chief Superintendent Howard Hodges said: ‘This was an unprovoked and vicious attack on two members of the public in the street and we commend them for supporting this investigation and for their bravery.
‘Multiple police units were deployed to Horsham Road, Crawley, on an emergency response following reports of a man in possession of a weapon.
‘Two unarmed officers in separate vehicles were first on scene and maintained sight of the individual while awaiting firearms officers to arrive, in line with national College of Policing guidance.
‘However, as the risk of immediate danger increased, the two officers on scene moved to detain the man themselves with the use of Tasers.
‘A mandatory referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) owing to the injuries suffered by members of the public after police arrived on the scene.
‘They determined a local investigation was appropriate and this has concluded and awaits IOPC review.
‘When a jury has outstanding questions about some of the evidence they have heard they can raise these with the judge to seek an explanation. This forms part of the criminal justice process and we, via the CPS, will ensure full responses are provided in the given time.’
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