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A 46-year-old man has appeared in court accused of carrying out a random and deadly knife attack that claimed the life of a young mother in her west London home.
Prosecutors told the Old Bailey that Daniel Sean James, 46, allegedly broke into a house in Hayes during the early morning of July 12 and fatally stabbed Kirandeep Kaur, 24, as she slept beside her husband and their three-month-old baby.
According to the prosecution, James had been seen on CCTV walking through the area dressed in black and carrying a large knife. Before the fatal incident, he is also accused of stabbing a man in his 20s in the back after approaching him from behind in the street.
Just minutes later, at around 7:51 a.m., James allegedly forced his way into the family home on Uxbridge Road. Mrs. Kaur's husband reportedly woke after hearing his wife's scream and saw an unidentified figure leaving the bedroom.
After the attack, the defendant allegedly escaped by jumping from a window, breaking both ankles in the fall. Police said he attempted to flee but collapsed a short distance away before officers arrested him. The entire sequence of events, from the first reported sighting of the suspect to police arriving at the scene, unfolded in approximately 24 minutes.
Mrs. Kaur suffered a fatal stab wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at 8:26 a.m.
Prosecutors told the court that both victims were complete strangers to the accused, describing the attacks as random. Following treatment in hospital, James was charged with murder, attempted murder, and possession of a bladed weapon.
Appearing via video link from Wormwood Scrubs Prison, James spoke only to confirm his identity. Judge Nigel Lickley KC scheduled a plea hearing for October 1, with a provisional three-week trial set to begin on April 5 next year. The defendant remains in custody pending further proceedings.
