Man ‘stabbed his ex-girlfriend’s son to death before trying to flee across Channel in a dinghy’
A DAD stabbed his ex-girlfriend’s 15-year-old son to death then tried to flee across the Channel on a dinghy, a court heard.
Suleman Altaf allegedly murdered Jakub Szymanski, who had tried to help his mum Katarzyna Bastek when she was knifed in the stomach.
The 45-year-old was found after lifeboats responded to reports of a “drifting dinghy” in the English Channel.
Altaf told the RNLI crew that he was planning to sail to France and then travel onwards to Portugal.
Manchester Crown Court heard the horror unfolded on June 9 last year at Katarzyna’s home in the city.
The couple, who had a son together, had ended their relationship in 2015.
Altaf was seen pacing the streets around the house for more than three hours wearing a baseball cap, face mask and latex gloves, it was said.
Katarzyna, who was on a call with a friend, saw a “moving shadow” creeping across the living room floor.
Jurors were told Altaf then “launched an attack” on his ex-partner shoving her on the sofa as she screamed “Kuba”, her son’s nickname.
Altaf allegedly stabbed his estranged partner in the stomach as she continued to call out her son’s name.
As Jakub rushed to his mother’s aid, he was knifed in the throat – suffering a “catastrophic” injury.
Alexander Leach KC, prosecuting, said: “Katarzyna Bastek crawled into the downstairs corridor area and it was from there that she saw her son Jakub Szymanski.
“He was standing in the downstairs bathroom. He turned to look at his mother and then sat down on the floor. He then lay down, very slowly, and she noticed that he was choking blood.
“She saw that he had a very deep wound and she watched as he spat blood out. She saw his skin turn white and he lost consciousness.”
CCTV showed Altaf running away with his face smeared with blood just two minutes after he entered the home, it was said.
The following day, he was found in the dinghy where it took the RNLI more than an hour to convince him to return to the shore.
Once he was arrested, jurors heard he claimed he went to the home to persuade Katarzyna to let her see her son “one last time”.
Altaf, who denies murder, attempted murder and possessing a knife in a public place, also alleged the mum-of-four and Jakub had “attacked” him.
The trial continues.