Man convicted of murdering ex-wife with crossbow

A MAN who killed his pregnant ex-wife by firing a crossbow at her has been convicted of murder.

Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo, 51, was found guilty by a jury of the murder after a trial at the Old Bailey.

He will be sentenced at the same court next Friday (29).

The jury heard that Unmathallegadoo planned his attack on his 35-year-old ex-wife Sana Muhammad, who was eight months pregnant, in November last year.

Unmathallegadoo, who was armed with two crossbows, had hidden himself inside the shed at the end of the garden of the house on Applegarth Drive in Ilford, where Sana lived with her husband Imtiaz and five children.

Sana Muhammad

After being discovered by Imtiaz, Unmathallegadoo chased him into the house holding the two crossbows.

Imtiaz told his wife to run and she fled up the stairs of the house. However, Unmathallegadoo fired an arrow at her before she reached the landing.

The arrow, which measured 18 inches, entered Sana’s body in her hip and travelled up through her body. By extreme fortune, it missed the unborn baby.

Unmathallegadoo was disarmed at the scene by his son, who lived in the house.

Sana was treated by paramedics from the London Ambulance Service (LAS) at the scene before being taken to a hospital.

An emergency caesarean was carried out to deliver the baby, who was initially not breathing but was revived by the medical staff.

Crossbow Reconstruction

Despite efforts to save Sana’s life, the injuries caused to her internal organs, including her stomach, liver and heart, led to her suffering a heart attack.

A post-mortem examination established her cause of death as complications arising from internal bleeding.

Unmathallegadoo was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder. He was taken to an east London police station and was subsequently arrested for murder.

An investigation by detectives from the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command revealed he had started making preparations for the attack several months earlier.

Analysis of his online purchases showed he bought a crossbow in March 2018, at a total cost of more than £1,000.

He also ordered archery arrows, broadheads and bolts from a number of different internet suppliers, via eBay.

In May 2018, Unmathallegadoo purchased another crossbow from another supplier.

Crossbow

Detective Sergeant Amjad Sharif, from Specialist Crime, said: “At a time when she should have been happily looking forward to the birth of her new child, Sana Muhammad was killed in cold blood by her ex-husband, Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo.

“Driven by feelings of bitterness and jealousy towards his ex-wife, who had remarried and started a new life, the defendant fired a crossbow, loaded with an 18-inch arrow.

“Sana, who was eight-months pregnant, had been running away up the stairs and posed absolutely no risk to him. By extreme fortune, the arrow missed the unborn baby. However, Unmathallegadoo showed a complete disregard for the foetus by firing a high-powered weapon from such a short distance.”

During the trial, he told the jury he had been aiming the crossbow at the bannister and had not meant to kill his ex-wife.

(Photos: Metropolitan Police).