Escaped patient had slit friend's throat

4:09pm Tuesday 9th March 2010

By Elizabeth Pears

AN escaped killer being hunted by police had been locked up for slitting his friend's throat at a flat in Tottenham.

Fida Mohammed Utmanzi, 20, who was born in Afghanistan, was detained indefinitely under the mental health act after being convicted of the manslaughter of 20-year-old Rasool Khan, at the Old Bailey on January 8.

The court heard that Utmanzi attacked his fellow Afghan at his West Green Road flat on March 3, 2009, after being plagued by paranoid delusions.

Utmanzi was charged with murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility.

The two men, both asylum seekers, had met in the north of England and later relocated to Tottenham.

Utmanzi absconded from North London Clinic, in Church Street, Edmonton, at around 7.30pm.

An investigation into how he was able to escape from the facility and a police manhunt is underway to track the patient.

Peter Handy, North London Clinic regional executive director, said: "Security and the safety of our patients and the community is at the forefront of our concerns and we are working extremely closely with the local authorities to ensure the patient is returned to the facility as quickly as possible.

"An internal investigation is underway to find out exactly what went wrong and to prevent such incidents in the future."

The public are being asked told not to approach the 6ft 1in tall patient, who has was last seen wearing black Adidas tracksuit bottoms with white stripes on the sides. He was also wearing a navy blue hooded top and grey trainers.

He has a thin with short black hair and has distinguishing cigarette burns on his arms, police said.

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