LONDON: The family of a murdered mother-of-two have hailed the driver who allegedly killed her attacker with his car a “hero” and say he should not face a murder charge for his actions.
Yasmin Chkaifi, 43, was stabbed to death in Maida Vale, west London, on Monday by her former husband, Leon McCaskre, 41.
A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder after he allegedly mowed down McCaskre with his car in an attempt to prevent him from harming Chkaifi further.
Her family, who visited the scene on Tuesday to pay their respects, praised the actions of the passer-by and said that his bravery deserves recognition.
“The driver of the car was a hero. We didn’t know him at all but he is an absolute hero,” they told reporters. “He saw what was happening and he tried to stop them.
“We want to say to him, ‘Thank you so much. Thank you for risking your life and thank you for not just standing there filming what was happening. Thank you for trying to do something.’
“He should not have been arrested; he is our hero. Our family are very proud of him, we hope that the Queen can give him a medal or something, and there is no way he should be charged and go through the justice system for what he did.”
Police confirmed that both of the deceased were from Maida Vale and had previously been in a relationship. Relatives of Chkaifi said that McCaskre was abusive during the three years the couple were together.
After they broke up three years ago, Chkaifi secured a restraining order against McCaskre and, according to one of her sons, installed a panic alarm.
McCaskre missed a scheduled court appearance on Jan. 4, where he had been due to face a charge of breaching a stalking order forbidding him from contacting Chkaifi, and an arrest warrant was issued in his name.
“Leon was a monster, a demon. His behavior towards her over the years was harrowing,” a member of Chkaifi’s family said.
Another relative alleged that McCaskre had been violent to Chkaifi but the police “had not done anything about it.”
He added: “The police have let another one slip through the net — how many more women have to die?”
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Rawlinson, of the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime Command, said on Tuesday that members of the public had “bravely tried to intervene to stop the attack and their actions were very courageous.”
He added: “A man, who was the driver of a car, has been arrested and bailed for a very serious offense and we must carry out a full investigation, looking at all the circumstances.”
