Hero driver is a free man: Met Police DROP murder probe into motorist, 26, who rammed car into knifeman in bid to stop his frenzied attack on ex-wife that left both dead

 The have-a-go hero driver who mowed down and killed a knifeman while he was stabbing to death a mother-of-two will face no further action, police revealed today one week after arresting him on suspicion of murder.

Yasmin Wafah Chkaifi, 43, died after the 'terrifying' attack by ex-husband Leon Mccaskie, 41, despite the efforts of the motorist - 'Abraham' - who intervened by ploughing into him in Maida Vale, West London, on January 24.Friends of the 26-year-old driver, a Chechen electrician who was detained by the Metropolitan Police after he drove his Renault Clio into Mccaskie to try to stop the carnage, said he has been 'living a nightmare' ever since.

More than 75,000 people signed a petition calling for him not to face criminal charges – and relatives and friends of Miss Chkaifi had called for the police probe to be dropped and for Abraham to be honoured for his bravery.

Today, Scotland Yard confirmed the driver will 'face no further police action' after officers studied CCTV footage, spoke to witnesses and detectives and looked at the legal position on 'self-defence and defence of another'.

Abraham's lawyer Mohammed Akunjee tweeted today: 'Good news - the Met Police have confirmed that there will be no further action with respect to our client 'Abraham' concerning his arrest under suspicion of murder.' 

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Rawlinson of the Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime Command, who has led the investigation, said today: 'Having reviewed the CCTV evidence and taken statements of numerous members of the public and attending officers, as well as reviewing the legal position regarding self-defence and defence of another, a decision has been taken that the driver of the car, a 26-year-old man will face no further police action.

'He is considered a vital witness to our investigation and will be offered support from professionals to help him come to terms with the terrifying situation he was confronted with. It is vitally important that when a person dies there is a thorough investigation into all of the circumstances and this has taken place. Such decisions must be thoroughly examined and while this process takes time this has been a priority for my team. 

'The man's legal advisors have been informed of this decision. Inquests have opened in relation to both deaths and my team will continue to work to provide evidence for the coroner. We continue to appeal for witnesses to this incident who have yet to speak to police to come forward and do so.' 

Abraham had said last week he did 'not see why I as the person who tried to assist in the defence of other human beings remain arrested and on bail under suspicion of murder' and urged police to instead treat him as a witness.

It also emerged after the attack that McCaskie had been due in court on January 27 for breaching a stalking order taken out to protect Miss Chkaifi, which barred him from contacting her. The stabbing took place nearly three weeks after a warrant without bail had been issued when McCaskie failed to appear in court on January 4.

On January 27, in a statement issued on Twitter both in writing and in a video through Mr Akunjee, Abraham said: 'I witnessed a man repeatedly stabbing a defenceless woman on the pavement a short distance in front of my car.

Mohammed Akunjee, lawyer for the Maida Vale driver who is an electrician known as 'Abraham', gave a statement last week

'Members of the public were attempting to intervene. The attacker was wielding a knife and was threatening those brave citizens too. My instant thought was to protect the woman who was being stabbed and the public who were also being threatened. The vehicles ahead of me moved off, which gave me the opportunity to intervene.'I drove my vehicle towards the attacker in order to get him away from the woman he was attacking. I did not intend to harm the attacker. I only intended to protect those being attacked.' 

'Abusive' ex-husband, 41, who stabbed mother-of-two, 43, to death in Maida Vale before being run over and killed by hero driver 'had warrant out for his arrest' after he breached restraining order and failed to appear in court, inquest hears 

An 'abusive' ex-husband who stabbed a mother-of-two to death in the street before being run over and killed had a warrant out for his arrest, a court heard today.

Leon McCaskie, 41, brutally murdered Wafah Yasmin Chkaifi, 43, before being mowed down by a car in Maida Vale, west London, the opening of an inquest into her death was told.

The driver - who many hailed as a 'hero' - was later arrested on suspicion of murder before being bailed while the investigation is ongoing.

Also today, Westminster Coroner's Court heard McCaskie was already wanted by police for breaching a restraining order which Ms Chkaifi had taken out against him for being abusive. The inquest was attended over videolink by many members of her family, including her husband Joseph Salmon and two sons.

Giving evidence, DCI Neil Rawlinson said: 'Yasmin Chkaifi and Leon McCaskie had been in a relationship that ended several years ago.'

But he said there had been 'allegations of domestic abuse' and a Stalking Prevention Order was issued against McCaskie.

'Leon had been arrested and charged for breaching this order, but failed to appear for his first hearing at court,' he added. 

'A warrant was issued for his arrest on the January 4, 2022. The two parties lived very close to one another in the Maida Vale area. 

'On Monday, January 24, 2022 at about 9am, Leon accosted Yasmin in the street, and repeatedly stabbed her with a knife.

'A member of public in a passing car, saw this and used his vehicle to drive into Leon in an attempt to stop the assault. Both Leon and Yasmin were declared deceased at the scene.

'An investigation has been taking place with me as the senior investigating officer. We have secured CCTV footage of the incident and obtained statements from several eyewitnesses who told us what they saw.

'We do continue to make efforts to get statements from other potential witnesses whose details we have. Police action between January 4 and 24 is currently subject to an independent investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.'

Ms Chkaifi's cause of death was multiple stab wounds.

Coroner Professor Fiona Wilcox said: 'I would like to pass my sympathy to Yasmin's family for their loss. This is a truly shocking and distressing death and I cannot imagine what you must be going through as a family at this time.'

The inquest into Mr McCaskie's death was opened and adjourned in a separate remote hearing. The court heard that his cause of death was multiple injuries.

Ms Wilcox also expressed her sympathy to his mother, who was listening to proceedings on the phone. He continued: 'My vehicle struck the attacker and he was taken under my car, causing it to stall. I could not reverse my car to free him. I and the other passers-by attempted to lift the car away from the attacker so we could provide the man with first aid. 

'Unfortunately we were unsuccessful with this and I have since learned that both the young lady and her attacker have died. I am deeply sorry that the man I tried to stop from attacking other people has died.

'It was never my intention to harm him, I just wanted to stop him from hurting anybody further . My only regret is that God did not allow me to be present at the scene sooner so that my intervention may have saved the life of the young woman concerned.'

Abraham added that he had asked Mr Akunjee - a high-profile lawyer who is best known for fighting for ISIS bride Shamima Begum's return to the UK - to request that the Metropolitan Police de-arrested him and instead treated him 'as a witness to a tragic event rather than as a criminal as they currently are'.

He said last week: 'I understand that the police are doing their job and that my being arrested is not unusual. However, I do not see why I as the person who tried to assist in the defence of other human beings remain arrested and on bail under suspicion of murder.

'I have asked my solicitor to contact the Metropolitan Police to request that they consider de-arresting me and begin treating me as a witness to a tragic event rather than as a criminal as they currently are.' 

MailOnline asked Mr Akunjee's firm, Waterford Solicitors, how he came to represent Abraham. The lawyer has previously done pro-bono work, including for Begum, although it is not known if that was the case with Abraham.

Meanwhile, Westminster Coroner's Court heard today that McCaskie was already wanted by police for breaching a restraining order which Ms Chkaifi had taken out against him for being abusive. 

The inquest was attended over videolink by many members of her family, including her husband Joseph Salmon and two sons.

Giving evidence, Mr Rawlinson said: 'Yasmin Chkaifi and Leon McCaskie had been in a relationship that ended several years ago.'

But he said there had been 'allegations of domestic abuse' and a Stalking Prevention Order was issued against McCaskie, adding: 'Leon had been arrested and charged for breaching this order, but failed to appear for his first hearing at court. A warrant was issued for his arrest on the January 4, 2022. The two parties lived very close to one another in the Maida Vale area. 

'On Monday, January 24, 2022 at about 9am, Leon accosted Yasmin in the street, and repeatedly stabbed her with a knife. A member of public in a passing car, saw this and used his vehicle to drive into Leon in an attempt to stop the assault. Both Leon and Yasmin were declared deceased at the scene.

'An investigation has been taking place with me as the senior investigating officer. We have secured CCTV footage of the incident and obtained statements from several eyewitnesses who told us what they saw.

'We do continue to make efforts to get statements from other potential witnesses whose details we have. Police action between January 4 and 24 is currently subject to an independent investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.'

Ms Chkaifi's cause of death was multiple stab wounds. Coroner Professor Fiona Wilcox said: 'I would like to pass my sympathy to Yasmin's family for their loss. This is a truly shocking and distressing death and I cannot imagine what you must be going through as a family at this time.'

The inquest into Mr McCaskie's death was opened and adjourned in a separate remote hearing. The court heard that his cause of death was multiple injuries. Ms Wilcox also expressed her sympathy to his mother, who was listening to proceedings on the phone. 

Last week, friends of the driver, who was heard saying 'what have I done?' after the incident, revealed that the electrician was still in shock. 

Forensic officers stand near a blue Renault Clio as they carry out investigations in Maida Vale, West London, on January 24

Miss Chkaifi's relatives place flowers at the scene of the killing in Maida Vale, West London, on Tuesday, January 25

Police officers and emergency services cordon off the scene in Maida Vale, West London, on Monday, January 24

A friend, who did not want to be named, said: 'If he ever sees anyone in trouble he will always try to help. He's a good Muslim man and couldn't bear to see the woman being attacked.

How Maida Vale driver's lawyer also fought for ISIS bride Shamima Begum's return to the UK 

Mohammed Tasnime Akunjee is a lawyer who has represented a number of figures in high-profile cases.

He is listed as a consultant at the Brentford branch of Waterford Solicitors and was recently in hot water after posting an image of the Taliban in Kabul with reference to Thin Lizzy song 'The boys are back in town'.

It prompted outrage among some, but he insisted he had been condemning them. He tweeted at the time: 'I can only assume that some people on twitter are being purposely dense. The Boys Are Back in Town is a song about a criminal gang (The Quality Street Gang Manchester) who have returned following a sojourn. This is controversial re the Taliban how exactly?'

The criminal defence lawyer, who specialises in terrorism law, is best known as fighting for ISIS bride Shamima Begum's return to the UK. He also represented he Syrian teenager Jamal Hijazi who won a libel case against Tommy Robinson to the tune of £100,000.

Akunjee has also garnered headlines for making controversial remarks around Islamic extremism and terrorism in the past. He previously defended one of British soldier Lee Rigby's killers and in 2015 accused the UK security services of 'creating' Michael Adebolajo by 'making his life so difficult'.

Once holding links to CAGE, a group denounced as 'terror apologists' by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Mr Akunjee later told Al-Jazeera: 'MI5 spent a huge amount of resources trying to turn him and speak to him before he did what he did. It's Frankenstein - they created him by making his life so difficult.'

When news broke that Begum had fled Britain to join so-called Islamic State, Mr Akunjee led a campaign for the Metropolitan Police to apologise to her family for failing to tell them that a school friend had travelled to Syria.

'He was on his way to a job and stopped to do the right thing. He's in shock about what happened. It's been a nightmare for him.'

Another friend, who did not want to be named, said: 'This guy is a family man with children and was just doing the right thing. It was instinct and an act of human kindness.

Another said: 'He is one of the most peaceful and good people I've ever met. He would never walk away when somebody needs help. He risked his life to save this poor woman. Police should praise him and let him go to his little children and wife.' 

Last week, the Metropolitan Police said the driver had been 'fully co-operative' after he was arrested on suspicion of murder following the incident.  

He had been bailed until a date in late February while evidence was evaluated.

The Met is also now facing an investigation itself into the attack after it emerged that the force was repeatedly warned about former company director Mccaskie's abusive behaviour.

A friend said last week how Miss Chkaifi grew concerned that her ex-husband would try to kill her in April 2020 after she learned that he was spying on her.

In messages to Adele-Sara Richards, Miss Chkaifi said: 'He's had cameras in my house recording me for months. He's stolen my mail, my phone, has access to all my personal data. I think he will kill me.'

Miss Chkaifi, who had two sons aged 16 and 18, told friends that she had gone to police about the incident and that a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

The mature student secured a restraining order against Mccaskie after the breakdown of their two-year marriage and even had a panic alarm fitted in her flat. 

A warrant for his arrest was issued just four weeks ago after he failed to turn up for a court hearing relating to a breach of the stalking order.

One of Miss Chkaifi's sons accused the Met of doing too little to protect his mother and said that officers had been contacted numerous times about Mccaskie's harassment.

Mccaskie was convicted of obstructing a police officer and driving without insurance in 2017.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct watchdog is now deciding if it will open an investigation into Scotland Yard's handling of the case after the force referred itself. 

A spokesman said: 'We can confirm that we have received a referral from the Metropolitan Police regarding their contact with Yasmin Chkaifi prior to her tragic death in Maida Vale, London on January 24.

'We are currently assessing the available information, and have requested more, to determine what further action may be required from us.'

Tributes have been paid to Ms Chkaifi, who was a qualified childminder, had worked in a school and was studying for a master's degree.

Ms Richards, who described how she supported her after her mother died, said: 'She was a good soul. It's very rare in life you come across a good soul. She always had a happy disposition. She was just a lovely person.'

Another friend, American PhD student Olivia Jones, 30, who lives in Brent, said: 'I didn't know Yasmin well, but she made me feel as though I did. A year ago, Yasmin opened her doors to my partner and I at the time and hosted us for a meal.

'She was incredibly kind, hospitable and an amazing cook and dancer. She had a bubbly personality and a confidence about her that was so attractive.

'She was proud of her Moroccan heritage and a spiritual woman. We spoke about Islam, identity and social justice. She was a good person.'

Family members paid tribute to Miss Chkaifi, who was also known as Wafat, in a statement on Facebook.

They said: 'She was full of life, always stayed positive and always saw the best in everyone.

'Wafat loved to laugh, dance and leave a special impact on everyone's life that got to share it with her. She has indeed left many broken from this awful and tragic news.

'Wafat was the most pure and genuine soul you would meet. She has left two amazing boys who will continue her legacy of being pure souls.'