An 80-year-old woman with dementia was stabbed more than 20 times by her grandson in east London, a court has been told.

Subell Ali, 34, allegedly killed his grandmother, Somtera Bibi, at the family’s home in Manor Park on April 2, 2022.

The alleged attack happened at an address in Landseer Avenue, two days after Ali, who has a serious mental illness, was released from a psychiatric hospital.

The Old Bailey heard that Ali is unfit to stand trial as a result of his mental illness.

Jurors were told that they would not be asked to deliver a verdict as to whether Ali is guilty of murder, only whether he committed the alleged acts.

On the morning of the alleged attack, Ali’s mother, Fatima Khatun, heard a “terrible scream”, the court heard. When she went downstairs she found the victim in the sitting room.

Jurors were told that Ali then left a large blood-stained knife in the kitchen before walking out of the house.

He was found at a nearby bus stop by police around ten minutes later, with his sleeves allegedly covered in his grandmother’s blood.

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Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones KC told jurors that after Ali was allowed home from hospital on March 31, he was allegedly preoccupied by a fearsome person he called Shahin Jahan.

Mr Emlyn Jones said one of the symptoms of the defendant’s mental illness was that he would hear voices and he appeared to be acting under the belief Shahin Jahan was giving him orders.

After police arrived at the scene, the defendant’s mother said he had told her Shahin Jahan “asked him to go and kill (her) quickly”.

While at Forest Gate police station, the defendant told police: “Someone told me to do this. Why would I do that to my own nan?”

Somtera Bibi suffered more than 20 stab wounds to her face and body, with the most significant to her chest.

She also had knife injuries to her right hand and wrist consistent with raising her hands to protect herself, the court was told.