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A man who saw his close friend and neighbour Raish Ahmed stabbed to death has spoken out against Newham Council and says he is forced to relive the tragedy every time he walks out his front door.
Mohammad Hasan says he has been left traumatised by the incident and has criticised the council as he does not feel that Ahmed’s family and his own have been supported enough, as they are still waiting to be rehoused away from where the incident happened.
Hasan says he feels ‘totally hopeless’, has found it difficult to concentrate at work and has been struggling to sleep at night, and has attended counselling sessions for his anxiety and trauma.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands Ahmed and his family are currently staying with friends as they have not yet been rehoused by the council.
Hasan said: “The way the council has treated us after the incident is more heartbreaking and instead of supporting us they are just playing with us. I don’t feel like we’ve been fairly treated. The local authority has not treated us fairly, we are being discriminated against. They are not listening, they are not helping us.”
Hasan says that he and his wife feel scared whenever they go out, and are constantly looking over their shoulder because they feel unsafe.
He said: “Every day I am just looking at the spot where [Ahmed] was stabbed, it’s automatic – I’m just looking there, I can’t move myself.
"I’m trying to move myself and I don’t want to look there - but still I’m just looking there. We are just feeling very scared like somebody is around us, we are [staring at] everybody which is not a good thing."
Raish Ahmed was brutally attacked on the afternoon of Saturday 5 October outside the block flats in Custom House where he lived.
Police found Ahmed, 50, with stab wounds and he was rushed to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. He died two days later.
A teenage boy was found with a slash injury, whilst his neighbour Mohammad Hasan was also attacked. Both survived their injuries, which were assessed as not life-threatening.
Daniel Whybrow, 46, of Hartington Road has been charged with murder. He has also been charged with grievous bodily harm (GBH) against the teenage boy and threats to kill, and racially aggravated assault by beating, and possession of an offensive weapon.
Mr Whybrow is due to appear at the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, on Monday 6 January 2025.
Mr Ahmed worked as a security officer at a museum. Mr Hasan desribed him as gentle and funny, as someone who was always talking to his neighbours and looked after his wife and their children.
Mr Hasan said: “It’s very difficult, when I’m going outside or coming inside the whole scenario is in front of my eyes. [Mr Ahmed] was very much close to us like a brother, like family.
"This incident is just stuck in my mind, I still imagine him calling me to ask, ‘Where are you? What are you doing?'”
A spokesperson for Newham Council said: “We are sorry to hear about the difficulties being experienced by Mr Hasan. Our housing team has met Mr Hasan on a number of occasions regarding his housing needs, and we will continue to provide support where we can.
"Unfortunately, due to the extremely limited number of council properties available, we are unable to offer Mr Hasan an alternative property at this time.”
