Man fatally stabbed teenager before attempting to flee country in a dinghy, trial hears

A man fatally stabbed a 15-year-old boy in the neck after attacking his mother - before attempting to flee the country on a dinghy, a trial has heard.

Suleman Altaf, 44, allegedly murdered Jakub Szymanski after stabbing his former partner, Katarzyna Bastek, in the stomach when she called her son for help.

As he came down to confront Altaf, Jakub was stabbed to the neck, it was said, and he sadly died from his injuries less than an hour later.

Altaf then fled the scene, in Miles Platting, Manchester, getting a taxi to Slough and driving to the South Coast.

He was later picked up by the RNLI as he tried to cross the English Channel, jurors heard.

Altaf, of no fixed abode, denies murder, attempted murder and possession of a knife.

Opening the trial at Manchester Crown Court, prosecutor Alexander Leach KC said Ms Bastek and Altaf had been in a relationship between 2012 and 2015.

She had three sons including Jakub, and they both had a son together, he said.The relationship broke down in 2015 and Family Court proceedings began in respect of Mr Altaf having contact with their son, which concluded in May this year.Around a month later, on 9 June, Mr Altaf was seen on CCTV walking the streets of Miles Platting for around three hours before he walked up to the house on Bednal Avenue at around 9.16pm.“CCTV caught what he was wearing and carrying. He was wearing a baseball cap, a surgical face mask and blue latex gloves,” Mr Leach said.“Ms Bastek could not remember what happened, but she does recall noticing a shadow moving in the corridor of her home.“She couldn’t see where it was coming from, but she saw it was the defendant and that he was carrying a knife.”

She said to him: “Please, I beg you, don’t do nothing wrong.”

As she went back into the living room he reached forward, stabbing her and pushing her towards the sofa, the court heard.She managed to stand up and shouted for Jakub, using the nickname she had for him, and said: “Kuba, Kuba, please help me.”Mr Leach continued: “She told the police that Jakub went to fight with Mr Altaf and that’s when she realised that she was bleeding from her stomach and called out for her friend.

She said to her: “Please phone the police because he’s going to kill me.”

Ms Bastek dropped her phone as Altaf allegedly stabbed her to the head.

During the struggle she bit his nose and slipped on the blood which caused her to fall to the floor, the court heard.She continued shouting out to her friend, whilst Mr Altaf put her in the living room and she shouted at him to leave. He then said to her “I can leave you now” and he left the house, it was said.After Mr Altaf left, Ms Bastek crawled along the corridor downstairs and saw Jakub standing in the downstairs bathroom, the prosecutor said."He turned to look at his mother, sat down very slowly then lay down and she noticed he was choking on blood.

"She noticed a deep wound to his neck and she watched as his skin turned white and he lost consciousness."

Ms Bastek called her adult son, who later told police that all he could hear was his mum ‘screaming’ at him to get home.

He went round, along with his girlfriend, his friend and his friend’s dad, who attempted to resuscitate Jakub.Ms Bastek was rushed to the Manchester Royal Infirmary where she received treatment for a number of injuries including three stab wounds to her shoulder, another to her chest, as well as a wound to her temple, her stomach and her neck.

She also had nerve damage to her face and a fractured rib.Despite the best efforts of paramedics, Jakub was pronounced dead at 10.26pm that day.

A post mortem report concluded that he died as a result of severe blood loss with possible contribution of blood inhalation.

He was found to have an injury to his neck which completely divided his left artery and the left jugular vein, the court heard.Following the incident, Altaf was seen in Tesco before he ordered a taxi, initially to Stoke-on-Trent, but later changed the plan and asked to be taken to Slough for a fare of £350, prosecutors allege.After arriving at an address, he was spotted getting into a silver car with two bags before driving to the South Coast.At 6.18pm the following day, an RNLI crew were dispatched to the English Channel to reports of a dinghy with one person aboard.

They discovered it was Mr Altaf and tried to get him to board their boat, but he refused, stating it was his intention to sail to France and then onto Portugal.

After an hour he eventually boarded the boat and was arrested.In a police interview, Altaf accepted going to the house on Bednal Avenue but said he went with the intention to speak to Ms Bastek. He told officers his visa had run out and he knew he had to leave the country.“He said the door was open and so let himself in,” Mr Leach said. “He said he was immediately attacked by Ms Bastek when he arrived and she started to punch and kick him.

"She then called her son Jakub who began kicking and punching him.“He told the police Jakub had a knife that he was able to take from him by a ‘stroke of luck’.”Altaf accepted that he must have struck Ms Bastek and Jakub with a knife but denied any intention to cause harm and said he was acting defensively.

He added that he wore the gloves and mask due to his concerns about Covid, jurors heard.

The trial continues.

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