A KILLER cannabis smoker who slit his student girlfriend’s throat at her uni halls after believing she was “the devil” has been locked up.
Sabita Thanwani, 19, was discovered beneath blankets and a duvet at City University in London in March 2022.
Central NewsSabita was found dead under a blanket[/caption]
Central NewsMaher Maaroufe has been jailed for manslaughter[/caption]
A horrified neighbour heard her begging: “I can’t breathe. You’re going to kill me.”
Chilling screams were also heard coming from the psychology student’s room at the Clerkenwell halls.
Her boyfriend Maher Maaroufe, 22, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, which was accepted by prosecutors.
He was today sent to Broadmoor maximum security hospital indefinitely.
The Tunisian native entered the UK illegally around four years ago and had been served with a deportation notice in August 2019.
He applied for asylum but this was unresolved at the time of Sabita’s killing.
Cannabis smoker Maaroufe, who suffers from paranoia and hallucinations, believed Sabita had turned into a devil on the night he killed her.
The court heard he believed he was being included in TV shows and was in the “afterlife”.
The couple had arrived back at Sabita’s halls in Clerkenwell at around 1.50am on March 19.
Police discovered Sabita lying beneath blankets and a duvet on the floor with a serious neck injury.
She had suffered 18 cuts to her face, neck and chest with a cause of death given as sharp force trauma to the neck.
Maaroufe was discovered sleeping under a tarpaulin in a garden shed the following day.
The court previously heard how he headbutted a police officer during his arrest.
How you can get help
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
Always keep your phone nearby.
Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
If you are in danger, call 999.
Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Maaroufe pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assaulting an emergency worker by beating.
Sabita’s family described him as “evil predator” and a “monster” in victim impact statements.
Mum Rheea also told how how Maaroufe stole her “precious” daughter’s life away and the help she wanted to “give the world”.
She added: “He killed us all, the whole family.
“It brings me to my knees and I cannot stand up again.
“Doors that were always open in our house are now always closed.
“Food and family meals that were so much fun are dreaded now because Sabita is no longer with us and she never will be again.
“The pain I feel, can never be described, it is beyond pain, beyond despair, beyond what any human should ever have to bear.”
PASabita could be heard screaming before she died[/caption]
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