Cowardly killer who murdered ex-partner's son jailed for life

Cowardly killer who tried to flee Britain on a dinghy after murdering his estranged partner’s son when the teenager stepped in stop him stabbing his mother is jailed for life

• Suleman Altaf, 45, must serve a minimum of 30 years for the callous murder
• Jakub Szymanski, 15, was killed as he tried desperately to save his mother’s life

A cowardly killer who tried to flee Britain on a dinghy after murdering his estranged partner’s teenage son when the youngster stepped in to stop him stabbing his mother was jailed for life today.

Suleman Altaf, 45, must serve a minimum of 30 years for the murder of Jakub Szymanski, 15, and the attempted murder of his mother Katarzyna Bastek – who said she feels guilt at having survived the attack.

Sentencing, Judge Patrick Field KC said: ‘These were calculated, premeditated and wicked offences. Jakub Szymanski died an innocent hero trying to protect his mother from a cowardly and vicious attack.’

Altaf was found guilty of both charges, and possessing a knife in a public place, after a trial at Manchester Crown Court last month.

Jakub died after he heroically stepped in and saved his mother Katarzyna Bastek as Altaf stabbed her.

A knifeman murdered 15-year-old Jakub Szymanski (right) with a knife and tried to murder the boy’s mother Katarzyna Bastek (left) during a horrific attack at her home in Miles Platting 

Suleman Altaf, 45, must serve a minimum of 30 years for the murder after he attempted to kill his ex-partner 

Ms Bastek is still struggling in the aftermath of the attack, the court heard.

She has ongoing pain and issues to her arm, stomach and eye, as a result of the attack, checks her Ring doorbell constantly and always checks that the door is locked.

In a statement to the court this afternoon, read by her eldest son Mikolaj Baranial, she said: ‘I have guilt that I survived and I lost my son.

‘Losing a child is difficult for any mother to bear. He came into my house to hurt me, this he did, not only physically but also the horrific injuries he inflicted on an innocent 15-year-old boy which resulted in his death.

‘Altaf had no reason to come to the house. Such evilness. All we have now are memories. We can only describe him as unique, as each and every day he made us smile and laugh. Those quirky things that made us chuckle.’

Jakub’s sibling added: ‘He had a very special smile, a special face and was a special hero. We can’t and never will forget you, God bless Kuba (Jakub’s nickname). My only question is – Was it worth it? Because you have ruined the family.’

Altaf was discovered almost 24 hours later floating on a dinghy in the English Channel – using a tarpaulin as a sail – and had to be rescued by an RNLI crew.

Jurors heard Altaf and Ms Bastek were previously in a relationship and shared a child. The pair had been involved in Family Court proceedings over the boy, as Altaf unsuccessfully tried to gain access to his son.

He turned up uninvited to Ms Bastek’s home in Miles Platting, Manchester, on the evening of June 9 last year, armed with a knife.

The 15-year-old died after he heroically stepped in and saved his mother as Altaf stabbed her

Before arriving at the property on Bednal Avenue, he was seen ‘walking the streets’ around the house for more than three hours wearing a baseball cap, a face mask and latex gloves.

Altaf then let himself into the house and repeatedly stabbed Ms Bastek, who desperately called out to her son for help. Jakub ran downstairs and as he tried to fight off the attacker, he was brutally stabbed in the neck. He was pronounced dead around an hour later.

Altaf fled and took a taxi to Slough, where he was living at the time. He then drove south to Dover, before boarding a dinghy on the English Channel. At about 6.18pm the following day he was spotted by an RNLI crew.

He was arrested and brought back to Manchester to await his fate.

Guy Gozem KC, defending Altaf, of no fixed abode, said his client was a man of previous good character and would have chance to reflect on his position over the next few ‘decades’ in prison.

READ MORE: Captured in the Channel: Footage of RNLI seizing man who tried to flee Britain in a dinghy after fatally stabbing his partner’s 15-year-old son is revealed as he is convicted of murder

Details of Altaf’s rescue were released by the RNLI after a crew sent to rescue him had to convince him out of his near-suicidal attempt to cross the world’s busiest shipping route.

Apparently inspired by the tactics of migrants crossing the English Channel from France, the fugitive was spotted attempting to make the reverse journey in a tiny 7ft boat.

Altaf was spotted more than five miles off the Kent coast when a lifeboat was scrambled – only for him to tell them he didn’t need their help.

Incredibly, he told them he planned to continue his near-suicidal DIY attempt to cross the Channel.

After convincing him his voyage was doomed, he was picked up and brought to shore.

Altaf claimed he had been aiming to reach Portugal via France as his work visa had expired.

But after his name was passed to police, it emerged that a warrant was out for his arrest for murder.

Armed officers were scrambled to Dungeness lifeboat station and arrested him.

‘We went out thinking it was going to be a routine rescue, but it turned out to be anything but!’ one of those involved in the rescue told the Daily Mail.

A bait digger first raised the alarm early on the evening of June 10 to the dinghy ‘drifting’ in St Mary’s Bay.

‘At first we assumed it was kids messing about on a boat because migrants normally come straight to shore,’ the crew member said.

‘He said his outboard motor had fallen off and he was holding up a tarpaulin to use as a sail.

‘But it wasn’t achieving very much.

Video footage shows the killer being rescued by RNLI crew from a dingy in the Channel almost 24 hours after the stabbings

‘The dinghy was barely suitable for a spot of fishing in the bay, there was no chance he’d be able to cross the Channel in it.

‘The sea was getting choppy, so even if he’d got further out into the shipping lane without being run down, it would have toppled over.

‘But even though he had three mobile phones, he hadn’t tried to call for help.’

The crew member said Altaf was ‘very reluctant to get on the lifeboat’.

‘Eventually after about 40 minutes he agreed to come aboard.

‘He said the reason he was trying to cross the Channel was that his work visa had run out.’

He was met by members of Romney March Coastguard and taken to Dungeness lifeboat station, medically assessed and given coffee and biscuits to warm him up.

Crucially, the suspect – who was wearing a tracksuit – had his passport with him, enabling rescuers to establish his real name.

Already suspicious as a result of his ‘odd’ demeanour, coastguard teams informed Kent Police – and the game was up.

They spoke to him about water safety advice to avoid alarming him while they waited for armed officers to turn up and arrest the suspect.

Altaf was subsequently transported back to a police station in the North of England.

He was later charged with murder and remanded in custody ahead of his trial.

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