A man who nearly beheaded a 19-year-old student in London when he stabbed her to death has been locked up indefinitely.

Maher Maaroufe, 24, stabbed Sabita Thanwani in the neck at her student accommodation in Clerkenwell, east London, on 19 March 2022.

She died at the scene and a post-mortem later found the cause of death was a sharp force trauma to the neck.

He later pleaded guilty to manslaughter by means of diminished responsibility, saying he was suffering from schizoaffective disorder.

Maaroufe, a Tunisian national who is of no fixed address and was not a student, had been in a relationship with Ms Thanwani.

He also pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker when he headbutted a police officer trying to arrest him.

On Monday, Judge Nigel Lickley KC sentenced him at the Old Bailey to a hospital order without limit of time.

He told the defendant: “Sabita had her whole life ahead of her. You ended her life.

“Your actions will continue to cause enduring pain and suffering.”

The court heard that Maaroufe entered the UK legally on an unknown date but had overstayed and was in the process of claiming asylum at the time of the attack.

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‘Radiant smile’ and ‘incredible heart’

Ms Thanwani’s family paid tribute to her after her death, describing her as “an angel” who “was pure and did not see bad in anyone”.

“Sabita was the most caring and loving person we have ever known. She inspired us every day of her precious 19 years of life. Her mission was to help everyone,” the family said.

She was studying psychology at City University.

“Her whole life was ahead of her, a life where her radiant smile and incredible heart could only spread warmth and kindness,” the family added.

“In her short life, she helped so many. Sabita was pure and did not see bad in anyone, because there was no badness in her own awesome heart.

“We will never ever stop loving or missing our beautiful, irreplaceable Sabita. The girl that was an angel upon the earth is now an angel in heaven.”

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