London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 10, 2025

Driver who killed Maida Vale knife killer will not face charges, say police

Driver who killed Maida Vale knife killer will not face charges, say police

Man, 26, released by the Met after driving into Leon McCaskie, in effort to prevent killing of Yasmin Chkaifi

A motorist who fatally drove his car into a man to try to stop him stabbing a woman has been released by police and will face no further action.

The 26-year-old man known only as Abraham has been hailed as a hero for his attempts to stop the killing of Yasmin Chkaifi, 43, last week in Maida Vale, west London.

At the time he was arrested on suspicion of murder, after Chkaifi’s killer, her abusive former partner Leon McCaskie, also died in the incident.

On Tuesday, Scotland Yard announced the driver had been released and that he would now be treated as a witness. The move came after Abraham issued a statement via his solicitor to make it clear he had no intention of killing McCaskie and was only trying to stop him attacking Chkaifi.

More than 75,000 people have signed an online petition hailing the driver as a hero and calling for him to face no charges.

Abraham said he was grateful that police had taken “this sensible course of action”.

In another statement issued through his solicitor, Tasnime Akunjee, Abraham said: “I will of course continue to assist them and any coroner’s inquest should the need arise. I once again wish to express my gratitude to the British public, who supported me so vocally at this most stressful and trying time.”

He added: “I hope that in my actions a message has been sent to society: should you see an evil it is a duty upon you to stop it with your hands, if you cannot then you should stop it by speaking out, if you cannot then at the very least you should hate it with your heart. May peace be upon you all.”


DCI Neil Rawlinson, who is leading the investigation, said: “Having reviewed the CCTV evidence and taken statements of numerous members of the public and attending officers, as well as reviewing the legal position regarding self-defence and defence of another, a decision has been taken that the driver of the car, a 26-year-old man will face no further police action.

“He is considered a vital witness to our investigation and will be offered support from professionals to help him come to terms with the terrifying situation he was confronted with.”

Earlier on Tuesday an inquest heard that McCaskie was wanted by the police for breaching a stalking prevention order.

Chkaifi, died from multiple stab wounds when she was attacked by him at about 9am on 24 January in Chippenham Road, Maida Vale, the inquest into her death was told.

Giving evidence, Rawlinson said McCaskie and Chkaifi had been in a relationship that ended years ago after “allegations of domestic abuse”.

He confirmed that McCaskie, who lived “very close” to his ex-partner, had been subject to a stalking prevention order and had been charged with breaching it. A warrant was issued for McCaskie’s arrest on 4 January when he failed to appear for his first court hearing about the breach, Rawlinson said.

He also confirmed that the Metropolitan police’s handling of McCaskie’s case was being examined by the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Reading his statement about the attack, Rawlinson said: “Leon accosted Yasmin in the street and repeatedly stabbed her with a knife. A member of the public, in a passing car, saw this, and used his vehicle to drive into Leon in an attempt to stop the assault. Both Leon and Yasmin were declared deceased at the scene.”

Rawlinson, who leads the investigation, said police had secured CCTV footage of the attack and taken statements from several witnesses.

The hearing was also told that Dr Simon Poole, a forensic pathologist, gave the interim cause of death as “multiple incised stab wounds”.

Prof Fiona Wilcox, the senior coroner for inner west London, expressed her shock at the manner of Chkaifi’s death and conveyed sympathy to her family.

Chkaifi’s two teenage sons, her husband, Joseph Salmon, and other members of the family were watching the proceedings via video link.

Addressing the family, Wilcox said: “It is a truly shocking and distressing death, and I cannot imagine what you must be going through as a family at this time.”

Wilcox formally opened and adjourned the inquest until 25 July. She said she hoped there would be a “significant update from the IOPC investigation” by then.

Wilcox also opened and adjourned a separate inquest into the death of McCaskie. The interim cause of his death was given as “multiple injuries”, she said.

Addressing McCaskie’s mother, Angela, who was listening to the proceedings remotely, the coroner said: “I am terribly sorry that you have lost your son in such awful circumstances.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Street justice isn’t pretty but how else do you deal with this kind of insanity? Sometimes someone needs to standup and say something
Armenia and Azerbaijan sign U.S.-brokered accord at White House outlining transit link via southern Armenia
Barcelona Resolves Captaincy Issue with Marc-André ter Stegen
US Justice Department Seeks Release of Epstein and Maxwell Grand Jury Exhibits Amid Legal and Victim Challenges
Trump Urges Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to Resign Over Alleged Chinese Business Ties
Scotland’s First Minister Meets Trump Amid Visit Highlighting Whisky Tariffs, Gaza Crisis and Heritage Links
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
×