Rasheed Rahman, a 19-year-old Sudanese national living in supported accommodation in Romford, was found guilty earlier this year of wounding and murder in connection with two separate stabbing incidents in east London in 2024. The cases have raised questions about police and care provider oversight.

In February 2024, Rahman stabbed Iulian Cavaliuc in the back and attacked him with a wooden bat during an unprovoked assault in Ilford. Police said Rahman followed Cavaliuc and his brother Marius off a bus before launching the attack. Cavaliuc had reportedly returned a bag containing cannabis to Rahman earlier that day after finding it on the ground. CCTV footage from the 86 bus showed Rahman approaching the brothers, although Rahman denied ever being on the bus or meeting them. Cavaliuc suffered stab wounds and a fractured arm, requiring hospital treatment. The weapon used in this attack was never recovered due to delays in identifying and obtaining CCTV from the scene.

Two months later, in April, Rahman fatally stabbed 55-year-old Mark Carroll in a seemingly random knife attack in Camden. Carroll, a well-known local, was killed instantly after being stabbed in the back as he walked in St Martin’s Gardens. CCTV footage showed Rahman lunging at Carroll from behind without any apparent provocation. Carroll’s family described him as a kind and giving person who accepted others without judgment. After the attack, Rahman continued to walk through the area armed with the knife, threatening other individuals before his arrest.

Rahman had a history of run-ins with the law prior to these incidents. In June 2023, he had pleaded guilty to possession of a Class B drug and carrying a broken pub dart in public. In the months before the attacks, officers were aware of his behavior but did not detain him for long; he was released on police bail following several incidents, including an attack on members of the public and breaking a church office window with a brick in April 2024.

Rahman was living in a hostel managed by Soaring Heights Care, which supports young people with complex needs or challenging behavior, including unaccompanied asylum seekers. Despite restrictions on sharp objects, Rahman signed out a kitchen knife from an Asda knife set kept in the hostel’s office, recorded in a “sharp knives log.” No mental health defense was raised during the trial, though evidence was presented that Rahman had experienced drug-induced psychosis linked to alcohol and substance misuse.

Rahman came to the UK as a child, arriving illegally in a lorry, and after living undocumented for some time, was granted temporary leave to remain in March 2023 following a successful asylum application.

The Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation into the handling of Rahman’s case, focusing on police interactions with him in the days before Carroll’s murder and examining whether earlier interventions could have prevented the fatal stabbing. Authorities and victim advocates are analyzing the circumstances that allowed Rahman to remain at large despite his escalating violent behavior.