Sana Muhammad death: Man shot ex-wife with crossbow on stairs

Sana Muhammad, formerly Devi Unmathallegadoo, was eight months pregnant

A man accused of killing his pregnant ex-wife with a crossbow chased her through the house and shot her as she fled upstairs, a court heard.

Sana Muhammed and her second husband Imtiaz Muhammad were confronted by Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo in her Ilford home, the Old Bailey was told.

Mr Unmathallegadoo had spied on the couple and assembled a cache of weapons in their shed, the jury heard.

He denies murder and the attempted destruction of the baby.

On the morning of 12 November, Mr Unmathallegadoo had allegedly taken up position in his ex-wife's garden shed, awaiting his moment to strike.

The 51-year-old is said to have been armed with two new crossbows, bolts, a hammer, a knife in a homemade sheath, cable ties and duct tape.

Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo denies murdering his ex-wife

Mr Muhammad told jurors his wife, who was previously called Devi Unmathallegadoo, had got up early that day to start cooking for friends and that he had gone to take an empty box to the shed.

He heard a noise behind his back and turned around to find the defendant carrying one crossbow over his shoulder and another in his hand which he pointed up, Mr Muhammad told jurors.

He added: "I was super shocked and I did not know what to do. I stayed there for 10 seconds then I ran out.

"Then he was running behind me through the garden."

The couple were then allegedly chased by Mr Unmathallegadoo.

Ilford North MP Wes Streeting said Sana Muhammad's death "shocked people to the core"

She was shot as she fled upstairs and suffered fatal internal injuries, but her unborn son was delivered by caesarean section and survived.

Mr Muhammad told jurors the bolt entered his wife's body so he could only see the end of it.

He said: "He did not waste a second. He seemed like he had training.

"When he was coming in the corridor I was in front of him but he was not looking at me. He was focused on her.

"When she got an arrow she just screamed. I was thinking, 'what is happening?', I was screaming for her.

"Then from there, because he had a second crossbow on his shoulder, I was thinking he's used one and now the second one might be for me."

The trial continues.