A TAXI driver has been stabbed by a man who absconded from a mental health unit.
Father of four Mahmood Anwar, 40, was knifed in the face and suffered horrific injuries to his hands, which required surgery.
A 29-year-old man arrested after the attack was found to have walked out of the Edale mental health unit on the site of Manchester Royal Infirmary only hours earlier. Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust has launched an investigation into the incident.
The arrested man has not been fit enough to be formally interviewed by police.
He has now returned to the Edale Unit.
Mr Anwar was attacked by a man he had collected from outside a takeaway on Stockport Road, Longsight.
His wife, Zohra, said: "As my husband was pulling up to drop the fare off the man asked how much it was. At that moment my husband decide to turn round and as he did the man was about to plunge a knife into his neck.
"I believe the only reason he was not killed was because he turned round. He was stabbed in the face and the man started kicking too. My husband shouted for help and the man eventually ran off.
Serious questions
"My husband then managed to drive to our home which is not far away. He was covered in blood and I drove him to Manchester Royal Infirmary. He needed 15 stitches in his face and had an operation lasting several hours on his hands as he had damage to his tendons. I think the mental health unit has some serious questions to answer about this. My husband is a big brave man and I think his size has saved him.
"I have been told by police that the man arrested had been in a secure unit but had been moved as he was responding to treatment and was allowed to play a game of pool in a less secure section and went missing.
"Why has he been returned to the unit from where he was able to walk out? That seems totally wrong to me. That is unacceptable. What if someone else is attacked who is unable to defend themself."
A trust spokesman confirmed that an in-patient left the premises without permission and police and relatives were informed immediately. He said: "In accordance with Department of Health procedures the trust has started a formal investigation into the circumstances of this incident."
The Edale Unit provides treatment and care for in-patients from three adult and two older age wards which are open door facilities. It also has a psychiatric intensive care unit which is a locked ward.
The trust spokesman has refused to say whether the arrested man is now being held in the secure unit.
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Cabbie stabbed in knife frenzy
November 05, 2007
VICTIM: Mahmood Anwar
Showing comments 1 to 5 and replies | View All
Turton, Manchester Central (05/11/2007 at 12:13)
It time for Sheila Foley CEO and her fellow directors to make way for more qualified people to run this Mental heath Trust to leave. People are dying and the Trust has been in failure for far too long. This will only now lead to more deaths. The Police need to be brought in to deal with the irregularities in the running of this once. excellent Hospitals. Nurse Reissman disaplinary results are due at 12:00pm Today and is she is sacked. Then the government should intervieine for all the people of Manchester,
SUSAN MURDOCH, Turkey (05/11/2007 at 13:29)
Ather Mirza (05/11/2007 at 19:40)
An innocent member of the community, Mr Anwar, suffered but by gods grace survived his terrible injuries. This may not have been the case especially for children and the elderly if such an attack had occurred.
Whilst a formal investigation has been started, policies must change now, with the 'arrested' man being put in more secure unit. Long term monitoring of patients is necessary especially those from secure units as otherwise they are threat to the public and this will not bode well for such institutions. My prayers are for Mr Anwars recovery.
lurker, manchester (06/11/2007 at 10:59)
Karen's is not the only dismissal, there have been more, not as public, equally outrageous. This Trust dispenses with nurses like disposable gloves, and we wonder whay we have a shortage of nursing staff? This simply illustrates exactly why. Because they are undervalued and as the Trust clearly shouted today "Say something we don't like, even in the interests of your patients and we will sack you"
This man has suffered because management staff were operating a ward with no experience whatsoever of how to create a safe environment, and all because they are too stubborn to admit that they have it all grossly wrong about the way Reissman has been dealt with. Patients shipped out at a cost of £1000 per day, miles from home, patients in the community flailing with no support, managers and agency staff manning wards with no clue where to begin whilst experienced and skilled staff fight as hard as they can for the injustice meted upon their colleague to be prevented from going further. something has to give!!
lurker, manchester (06/11/2007 at 11:44)
Where's Frank Marchison's comments, is he not meant to be the risk governance man ? Or is he still pretending he's resigned ?