Patient told nurse 'you are going to die' during strangling attack in hospital, court hears

A nurse who was strangled by a patient in a psychiatric unit was rescued by colleagues who ran to her aid, a court heard. Kieffer Sutton is accused of the attempted murder of Kazeema Asfal during an incident at the Heath Lane Hospital in West Bromwich shortly after 8pm on July 7 last year. He is standing trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court where a jury was told that the defendant had been angry about noise made by the nurse's personal alarm. Giving evidence in the witness box, Mrs Asfal told the jury she and a male nurse were watching the defendant during the night shift when the atmosphere changed. She said Sutton repeatedly made unpleasant remarks including "he could not wait for what was going to happen" and scared off another female nurse, telling her "I am going to smash your face if you come in". Mrs Asfal said a short time later Sutton asked to change his clothes and as the 24-year-old is a transgender male who was identified as female at birth, female staff monitored him during bathroom breaks and for changing. She told the jury: "I stood where I could see to the right and left of him. He started rummaging through his clothes when it happened fast. He ran towards me and I saw this black thing go over my head. He pulled it hard. "I had my hand on my alarm. I can't remember 100 per cent if I triggered it or someone else. He said to me 'it's going to be fun seeing you die' and other things about death."

She said she was unable to get her fingers underneath the cord, which was shown to the jury along with photographs taken afterwards of her bruised neck. Opening the case, prosecuting barrister Mr Stephan Koldowski said: "It is the Crown's case that on July 2, 2023 when he was a patient at the Heath Lane Hospital in West Bromwich he tried to murder a nurse called Kazeema Asfal. He put a cord around her neck and pulled it extremely hard. "When the alarm was raised only the actions of the nurse and two other nurses who came to her rescue and stopped him from strangling her. This case is relatively simple and when you come to deliberate after hearing the evidence the judge will explain a bit more about the law. "Kieffer Sutton arrived at the hospital's McArthur unit in January 2023 because of issues with Emotional Unstable Personality Disorder, emotional inmaturity and he has a habit of occasionally self-harming. Despite his condition Sutton knew exactly what he was doing and the consequences when he tried to strangle Mrs Asfal. "This is not a case where you have to consider the actions of someone with a mental illness and who did not know what they were doing or the consequences. He had to be escorted by the staff most of the time due to his risk of self-harm, damage to rooms or striking out at other people." Sutton, of Tickford Street in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, admits strangling the victim but denies attempting to murder her. The trial continues.