A man known as “Nasty” has been sentenced to prison for the brutal murder of a deaf woman in London. Duane Owusu, aged 36, was described by witnesses as resembling a monster during the vicious assault on Zahwa Mukhtar, 27, in Dagenham on August 16, 2025. The court heard that Ms. Mukhtar had accompanied Owusu, whom she had never met before, for a night out in the early hours of that day.
Witnesses testified that Ms. Mukhtar, after inhaling laughing gas, was thrown out of a car by Owusu following an argument she had with one of his associates. The court was informed that Ms. Mukhtar had pulled the hair of Owusu’s female friend and made threats during a dispute, prompting Owusu to toss her phone out of the moving car before eventually ejecting her and launching a violent attack.
Owusu aggressively kicked and punched Ms. Mukhtar as she sat on the pavement, with one punch proving to be fatal. A witness described the heartbreaking moment when Ms. Mukhtar fell to the ground while pleading for mercy. Despite attempts to help, witnesses were ordered by Owusu to return to the car.
Following the incident, the car drove away, but Owusu and his companions were soon apprehended by the police not far from the scene. Ms. Mukhtar was found dead at the scene with severe head injuries, including a skull fracture and fatal brain damage. Although Owusu denied punching her, claiming he acted to de-escalate the situation, CCTV footage revealed his callous behavior towards the victim.
After a dramatic trial, Owusu was found guilty of murder, with emotional courtroom scenes including an outburst by Ms. Mukhtar’s brother towards the defendant. Owusu denied murder and manslaughter charges, citing trauma from the incident.
