LONDON — A 27-year-old deaf woman, described by friends as “bright, bubbly, and enthusiastic,” was killed in what prosecutors have called a “callous attack” following a night out with strangers, the Old Bailey was told this week.
Zahwa Mukhtar, a finance assistant at the Young Vic Theatre in Waterloo, died after being thrown from a car and attacked on Chadwell Heath Lane in east London during the early hours of August 16 last year. Duane Owusu, 36, known to acquaintances as “Nasty,” is facing trial for her death. He denies charges of murder and manslaughter.
Opening the trial, prosecutor Henrietta Paget KC described the incident as the “senseless killing of a vulnerable young woman.” Mukhtar, who had been profoundly deaf since contracting meningitis at age three, had adapted to her disability using lip-reading and British Sign Language.
The court heard that Mukhtar encountered Owusu and his acquaintances outside a pub in Stoke Newington after attending a rave in Hackney. She later joined the group in a Mercedes, where occupants were reportedly drinking and using recreational drugs, including laughing gas.
Paget told jurors that Mukhtar “was behaving erratically,” flirting with some men and arguing with other women in the car. “Nobody knew her, and it appears that her behaviour was causing increasing annoyance,” the prosecutor said.
According to testimony, when Mukhtar began recording a video on her phone, Owusu allegedly ordered the driver to stop, opened the rear door, threw her phone out of the vehicle, and pushed her onto the road. He then allegedly kicked and punched her, causing a fractured skull and fatal brain injury.
“This was a callous attack,” Paget said. “The attitude Mr. Owusu displayed towards his victim was one of utter contempt, as his subsequent actions and words make clear.”
The trial is ongoing, with jurors expected to hear testimony from witnesses and forensic experts. Friends and colleagues described Mukhtar as a lively, sociable woman with a close circle of family and friends. The case has raised concerns about the vulnerability of young people in social settings and the dangers of substance use.
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