A paranoid schizophrenic with a history of refusing medication launched a savage knife attack on an innocent grandmother walking home from bingo, highlighting the deadly consequences of Britain’s failing mental health system.
Random Violence Terrorizes Dover Streets
Natasza Zakrzewska, 47, pulled a large kitchen knife from her bra and stabbed an unsuspecting grandmother five times on Biggin Street in Dover town centre on January 17. The victim had just collected £300 in bingo winnings when the paranoid schizophrenic launched her “random and ferocious” assault just after 10pm. CCTV footage captured the horrifying moment as door staff shouted warnings before the attacker plunged the blade into the stranger’s back repeatedly.
Woman pulls knife from her bra to launch 'ferocious' stab attack on grandmother. Natasza Zakrzewska raised a kitchen knife above her head and plunged it into a stranger's back in Dover town centre. Another foregner?https://t.co/QRxxm2hdgg via https://t.co/yKLuHcxMqr
— Xenomorph (@PetenShirl) October 8, 2025
Heroes Prevent Certain Murder
Door supervisors Ben Pilott, Thomas Endersby and Valkyrie Lawless from the nearby Dizzy Donkey club rushed to tackle Zakrzewska as she continued her relentless attack. The brave staff had already helped two teenage girls who were threatened by the “stumbling and slurring” woman moments earlier. Prosecutor Michael Hillman told Canterbury Crown Court that without the door staff’s intervention, the attack “would easily have proved fatal.” One supervisor managed to snap the plastic-handled knife as it dropped toward his wrist during the struggle.
Victim Suffers Devastating Long-Term Impact
The grandmother, who initially thought she was being punched, described her attacker as looking “dead behind the eyes” and completely focused on causing harm. She now suffers ongoing pain, nerve damage that limits arm function, and diagnosed PTSD that has made the past eight months “unbearable.” The victim revealed she questioned whether she wanted to continue living after the traumatic attack. Despite requiring treatment at London’s King’s College Hospital for a large stab wound, she credits the door staff’s kindness with saving her life.
Justice System Fails Victim Through Mental Health Loophole
Judge Simon James detained Zakrzewska indefinitely under the Mental Health Act after a jury found she had “done the act” but was unfit to stand trial. The judge revealed Zakrzewska had a long history of refusing medication, with her condition worsened by alcohol and amphetamine abuse. He acknowledged that “had it not been for your diagnosis, you would have been handed a lengthy prison term.” This case demonstrates how mental health defenses allow dangerous individuals to escape proper criminal consequences while victims suffer permanent trauma and injury.