Killer on the run after hospital escape

A prisoner detained under mental health laws for slitting the throat of a butcher was being hunted by police today after escaping from hospital.

Fida Mohammed Utmanzi, 20, escaped from the North London Clinic in Church Street, Edmonton, at 7.23pm yesterday.

He disappeared just eight weeks after he was detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act on being convicted of manslaughter at the Old Bailey.

Police warned members of the public not to approach Utmanzi but to dial 999 immediately.

The killer was last seen wearing black Addidas tracksuit bottoms with white stripes on the sides, a navy-blue hooded top and grey trainers.

He is 6ft 1in tall, of thin build, with short black hair. He has cigarette burns on his arms.

Utmanzi has connections to the Tottenham, Fulham and Putney areas of London. He has also spent time in Newcastle.

The Old Bailey heard Utmanzi bludgeoned his friend Rasool Khan, 20, with a dumbbell before fatally stabbing him after suffering months of paranoid delusions.

Mr Khan's body was found wrapped in a blood-soaked duvet at his flat in West Green Road, Haringey, on March 3 last year.

The two men, both Afghan asylum seekers who met in the north of England, had been seen getting off a bus together.

Peter Handy, of the North London Clinic, said an internal inquiry has been launched into the escape.

He 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 under way to find out exactly what went wrong and to prevent such incidents in the future."

Anyone who may have information about his whereabouts is asked to call detectives on 07717 483 332.