Woman who claimed to be Princess Diana’s secret daughter pleads guilty to manslaughter

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Woman who claimed to be Princess Diana’s secret daughter pleads guilty to manslaughter

Habiba Naveed, of Lewisham, London, murdered her landlord Christopher Brown and his pet cat Snow in August of last year

A British woman who once claimed to be the lost daughter of Princess Diana has this week been convicted of manslaughter.

Habiba Naveed pled guilty in court this week to battering her 72-year-old landlord to death in August of last year.

The 35-year-old also confessed at an Old Bailey hearing on Thursday (24 Jul) to stabbing his cat, named Snow, in the neck at the time, sadly killing the animal.

Naveed claimed in her admission that she was 'Jesus', who'd been sent to 'sent to eliminate evil from the world'.

She'd previously been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, with experts at the hearing believing her to have been in a 'psychotic' around the time she committed her crimes.

The case's lead prosecutor, Kerry Broome, told the court that the perpetrator had previously gloated about her connections to the British monarchy.

Habiba Naveed murdered her landlord and his pet cat last August (Metropolitan Police)
Habiba Naveed murdered her landlord and his pet cat last August (Metropolitan Police)

Specifically, she'd convinced herself she was the child of the late Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed, who were killed in a catastrophic car crash in Paris in August 1997.

Following the double killings, Naveed had allegedly informed her brother she was a child of God, whose purpose was to 'eliminate evil'.

Broome also told the court that after her arrest, she told police of the crimes: "'The devil attacked me last night and I won."

Naveed's conviction comes after she pleaded guilty in court, following her initial denial of ever murdering solicitor Christopher Brown.

His body was discovered under a dressing gown in the living room of the home he shared with his killer, who was previously his tenant.

The pair lived together in Polsted Road, Lewisham, south-east London.

Naveed believed she was the late child of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed (JOHN D MCHUGH/AFP via Getty Images)
Naveed believed she was the late child of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed (JOHN D MCHUGH/AFP via Getty Images)

Police believe she hit Brown over the head with a pan before strangling him. A postmortem found that the lawyer had died from blunt force trauma.

"She believed she had seen the deceased kill his mother and that the deceased was evil," Broome said of Naveed in court. "She heard a voice telling her to kill him three times.

"She believed the evil spirit had jumped out of the deceased and into the cat. She got a knife and she cut the cat's neck."

A hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act was imposed by Judge Sarah Munro KC as a result of her claims, alongside a restriction order under Section 41.

Naveed was convicted at the Old Bailey this week (Andrew Aitchison / In pictures via Getty Images)
Naveed was convicted at the Old Bailey this week (Andrew Aitchison / In pictures via Getty Images)

This legislation will see Naveed - who attended the hearing via video-link and only spoke to confirm her identity - be detained indefinitely.

A statement written by Brown's former law firm colleague was also read out in court, which claimed he'd have helped anyone he could, and said that his killer had taken away the possibility of him making 'future memories'.

"He wasn't just a 72-year-old-man tragically killed by his housemate, he was a solicitor, a boss, a partner, a kind man," the message continued.

His cousin also read a statement in court, which described Brown as a 'kind and caring person' who'd always go out of his way to help others.

Featured Image Credit: bettman/Getty Images / Met Police

Topics: Princess Diana, Royal Family, UK News, Crime, News