A man has been sentenced for killing his 43-year-old roommate with a pair of scissors in Tower Hamlets.
David Cheres, 21, was sentenced to a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act for the manslaughter of Tiparat Argatu.
He had pleaded guilty to manslaughter on August 26 last year but his his plea was not accepted by the court and a two month trial took place from 31 October 2022. Cheres was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.
The Old Bailey heard how Cheres launched a brutal attack on Tiparat with a kitchen knife and pair of scissors in her room at around 2pm on January 24, 2021.
During the attack, Cheres stamped on her neck and face, bit her arm and stabbed and slashed her so forcefully that he bent the scissors in half.
Police officers and the London Ambulance Service were dispatched to the scene but could not save Tiparat’s life.
Officers later saw Cheres, naked with blood on his hands, walking in the direction of Ellen Street.
He told officers he had come from the bin cupboard, where a duvet and pillows were later found. Cheres was arrested and taken into custody.
CCTV showed Cheres had walked along Cable Street just before 5am on January 25, where he undressed completely, abandoned his bloody clothes and walked on naked.
Cheres was assessed by medical professionals and was found fit to stand trial. He was subsequently charged and convicted.
Virongrong Witpiboolrat, Tiparat Argatu’s sister, said: “I want to have our younger sister back because Tiparat was a really nice person, who loved her brother, sister and her mother very much. She used to save up her own money and secretly bought things for her sisters, giving money to her sisters because her sister has no income. She gave to everyone even to me.
"Our family is still very sad and are not able get over what happened to her. We still miss our wonderful sister every day, everything in our family life is not the same anymore.
"She was severely abused, she was unable to fight back, she had no one, not even her husband or siblings beside her, she had no chance to say goodbye on the last breath of life and our family is suffering today and we never will be happy as we used to be, because we do not hear her, we can't see the face of our dearest sister anymore.”
Detective Sergeant Jugdeep Atwal, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “This was a completely senseless killing. Her family now have to suffer a lifetime without her all because Cheres lost his temper.
“The last minutes of Tiparat’s life were very violent, she must have been terrified. No one should ever have to experience that fear and violence in their own home. It doesn’t matter how angry you are, violence is never the answer.
“Incidents such as this highlight why violence against women and girls is such a priority for the Met, and why we are working tirelessly alongside out partners to bring the perpetrators of such violent crimes to justice.”
