Golders Green Stabbing Suspect Essa Suleiman Set For Old Bailey Trial Over Attempted Murder Of Orthodox Jews

A man accused of the attempted murder of two Orthodox Jewish men in north London and a friend in south London is to stand trial at the Old Bailey in March next year.

Essa Suleiman, 45, appeared via video link from HMP Belmarsh on Friday for a preliminary hearing before Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb.

The defendant faces three counts of attempted murder and one count of possessing a bladed article in a public place following a sequence of events on 29 April.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb remanded the defendant into custody ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing scheduled for 25 September, with a provisional three-week trial set to commence on 1 March 2027.

The prosecution alleges that Suleiman first attacked his friend of 20 years, Ishmail Hussein, at Mr Hussein's flat in Southwark, south London.

Both men are members of the local Somali community, and Mr Hussein sustained minor injuries during the incident.

It is further alleged that the defendant then travelled by public transport to Golders Green, north London, where he targeted two men wearing clothing characteristic of the Orthodox Jewish community.

Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC outlined that Suleiman allegedly assaulted 34-year-old Shloime Rand, who sustained a punctured lung, before stabbing 76-year-old Norman Shine, also referred to in court documentation as Moshe Shine, who suffered multiple injuries to his head, neck, chest, and abdomen.

Suleiman, whose address cannot be published for legal reasons, had been residing in supported accommodation in south London designated for individuals released from secure psychiatric hospitals, within the area managed by the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust.

During the short administrative hearing, the defendant spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth. The court established the timetable for the submission of evidence and psychological assessments ahead of the criminal trial next year