A man who stabbed two women at an East Lancashire supermarket and a male nurse in another incident has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order under the Mental Health Act.
Munawar Hussain, now 60, stabbed two women at the Marks & Spencer store in Burnley in 2020, and a nurse in another incident in 2023.
On December 2, 2020, Hussain went into the store in St James’ Street and attacked the store manager and a customer with a knife.
Both victims sustained serious injuries requiring extensive medical treatment.
He was apprehended by store security and members of the public before police arrived and arrested him.
Hussain, formerly of Murray Street, Burnley, later told officers he targeted the store because he believed Marks & Spencer funded Israel in persecuting Palestinian people.
READ MORE: Two women stabbed and Burnley man arrested as police attend incident at M&S
Shortly after his arrest, he was remanded and detained under the Mental Health Act.
Whilst waiting for sentencing, he was remanded back to a secure mental health hospital in the Lancashire area, and on June 26, 2023, he attempted to murder a male nurse by trying to stab him with a kitchen knife.
He was found guilty of the Burnley stabbings, one count of attempted murder and another of section 18 assault, in March 2023 at Manchester Crown Court.
He pleaded guilty to the attempted stabbing of the nurse at another hearing last year.
Today, September 2, he was given a Section 37 Hospital Order under the Mental Health Act and will be detained at a hospital in Merseyside.
The judge subsequently ordered restrictions under S41 Mental Health Act 1983 as it is considered necessary to protect the public from serious harm.
READ MORE: 'Knifeman would have kept stabbing me' terrified M&S shopper tells jury
The order means Hussain can only be discharged by the Secretary of State for Justice or the Mental Health Tribunal.
Chief Superintendent Sarah Kenwright, of Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said: “These incidents are deeply disturbing and traumatising for all the victims.
"We have supported them and they have been at the forefront of our minds throughout the investigation and the subsequent trial.
“No one should go to their place of work or out shopping and fear for their lives, sadly this has been a reality for three people, who have undoubtedly had their lives changed, both physically and mentally, by Hussain’s actions.
“Our subsequent investigation, and ultimately today's sentencing, means that Hussain will remain in a safe place for him to get the treatment he needs, and that the public are safe from the threat that he clearly posed that day.”
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