Deaf Woman Killed After Night Out With Strangers in East London

Published: 18 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

A profoundly deaf young woman was fatally attacked and left to die in east London after a night out with strangers, a court heard on Tuesday as her alleged killer went on trial. The Old Bailey was told the senseless killing of Zahwa Mukhtar, 27, followed a chance meeting with a group of people in the early hours of 16 August last year — and has shocked family, friends and the local community.

Prosecutor Henrietta Paget KC described the case as the “callous killing of a vulnerable young woman” after Mukhtar, who was born profoundly deaf, was thrown from a car and then violently attacked on a quiet street in the Chadwell Heath area of east London. Despite her disability, she was “adept at lip‑reading and British Sign Language” and described in court as “bright, bubbly and enthusiastic”, working as a finance assistant at the Young Vic Theatre in Waterloo.

Mukhtar’s fatal encounter began after she had been out alone near a pub in Stoke Newington and met a group of strangers outside. Jurors heard that both she and members of the group had been drinking and taking drugs, and she joined them in a silver Mercedes as they travelled towards Dagenham.

The court was told the situation became volatile inside the vehicle. At one point Mukhtar began recording a video on her phone, prompting Duane Owusu, 36 — nicknamed “Nasty” — to order the driver to stop the car. According to the prosecution, Owusu ejected Mukhtar from the vehicle, threw her phone out and then proceeded to punch and kick her on the pavement, inflicting fatal injuries. The attack caused a fractured skull and brain injury, and she was left motionless.

Rather than offering help, the group is said to have shouted at each other to “get in the car” and left her lying injured, before police were called shortly after by passers‑by who found Mukhtar unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene after ambulance crews arrived.

Owusu has denied murder and, alternatively, manslaughter in the ongoing trial, which aims to establish what happened during those final moments and whether the killing was deliberate or reckless. Prosecutors argue the evidence — including CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts — paints a picture of extreme violence and contempt towards the victim.

Mukhtar’s death has highlighted broader concerns about the safety of vulnerable people, especially those with disabilities, when socialising or travelling with unfamiliar groups. Her family and legal representatives have emphasised her love of life, social activities and independence, and the devastating impact her loss has had on her loved ones.

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