By Grâçia Ada Obi
A father killed his three-week old baby after referring to him as the prophet Muhammad, a court has heard.
Kadees Mohammed, 31, is accused of violently shaking, throwing, and bashing little Ibrahim up against a wall at the family home in Dovey Road, Moseley, Birmingham.
The jury was told he used an iron to hit his wife Mehwish Mubashir and mother Raqyi Bi when they tried to stop him during the attack in October 2022.
The court heard on Tuesday there was no dispute the civil servant, who worked for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, killed his son or caused serious harm to the two women.
The issue they will have to determine concerns his state of mind at the time amid evidence he was ‘mentally unwell’.
Mohammed denies murder, an alternative charge of manslaughter, and two charges of wounding with intent.
Opening the case on Monday, October 7, prosecutor Harpeet Sandhu KC said the family appeared to be ‘perfectly pleasant and without any problems’.
‘Neighbours thought they were friendly and the defendant appeared to be content. He seemed happily married and he appeared to be a doting father,’ he said.
Baby Ibrahim was born on September 27 that year and around two weeks later a health visitor concluded he seemed ‘well cared for’ following an assessment at his home.
The court heard Mohammed gave his family ’cause for concern’ in the months leading up to the killing after becoming ‘fixated’ with the idea he had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, while he was also finding it difficult to sleep.
The jury was also told he ‘struggled with his sexuality’, had downloaded the gay-dating app Grindr and later confessed to police he was gay following his arrest.
On October 17 that year Mohammed regularly attended the local mosque to ‘repent’ as he felt he had sinned after having ‘intrusive’ thoughts.
He also spoke about death and being scared, as well as making comments about the devil and being on a ‘higher religious plane’.
Paramedics attended in the evening amid family concerns and Mohammed was ultimately taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to be assessed by the mental health crisis team.
But he left and returned home shortly after arrival having been told he faced a four-hour wait to be triaged.
Hours later at 3am, his wife woke to find Mohammed kneeling on the floor over their baby boy on the floor, the court heard.
Mr Sandhu said: ‘The defendant repeated the words Allahu Akbar – God is great. He did so literally as he held on to his son. When she saw that, the defendant’s wife took their baby son from the defendant.
‘By now Ibrahim was unresponsive. It’s likely the defendant had already subjected Ibrahim to severe force by this stage.
Mehwish Mubashir ran out of the bedroom along the landing and ran towards the bedroom at the back of the house, occupied by Raqya Bi.
‘The defendant ran after her and also therefore ran after Ibrahim who was in Mehwish Mubashir’s arms. The defendant’s wife and his mother tried to stop the defendant from taking hold of the baby. The defendant would not be stopped, however.’
Mr Sandhu described how Mohammed struck both his wife and mother with an iron. He also told the jury that he ‘flung’ Ibrahim as though he was ‘shaking’ him, and at one point threw him to the ground and against a wall.
The jury was told that Ms Mubashir fled and sought help from neighbours who entered the address.
Mr Sandhu said one of them found Mohammed in the bedroom. He said: ‘He found the defendant kneeling on the floor. The defendant cradled Ibrahim. Ibrahim was silent and still.
‘In contrast the defendant was shouting. He appeared to be aggressive and out of control. He repeated “I’m Muhammad, my baby is Muhammad”. The defendant appeared to be crazy to those who observed him.’
He told the jury that neighbours wrestled Ibrahim from the grasp of the defendant who tried to bite the baby’s head in the process.
At one point Mohammed was heard to have said ‘my baby is the prophet’.
Mohammed was arrested at 3.50am and taken into custody where he said: ‘I can’t believe I killed my son.’
Mr Sandhu told the jury that on the allegation of murder they will be asked to consider the legal defence of ‘insanity’ as well as the partial defence of ‘diminished responsibility’ which would reduce the offence to manslaughter.
After providing explanations of both Mr Sandhu added: ‘Your focus will be on whether the defendant knew what he was doing when he attacked his son, wife and mother even though he was ill or whether he knew if it was wrong.
‘The defendant may have been ill but did he still know what he was doing?’
The trial continues.