A MAN who stabbed a college receptionist to death while wearing a Phantom of the Opera mask was sent to a mental hospital indefinitely. Rafi Ullah, 29, wore a mask and wig the night he brutally attacked Sehrish Waqar Sheikh outside her workplace – knifing

A MAN who stabbed a college receptionist to death while wearing a Phantom of the Opera mask was sent to a mental hospital indefinitely.

Rafi Ullah, 29, wore a mask and wig the night he brutally attacked Sehrish Waqar Sheikh outside her workplace - knifing her 60 times.

He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility at the Old Bailey on Tuesday March 3.

Police were called by London Ambulance Service at about 6pm on September 22 last year to reports of a stabbing in Balaam Street, Plaistow.

Sehrish, from Green Lane, Dagenham, was just 23 and suffered multiple stab wounds to the chest and neck.

She was confirmed dead at the scene.

At the time of her death Sehrish's neighbours paid tribute to her in the POST calling her "a really lovely girl who was always friendly".

Friends on Facebook called Sehrish "a caring, genuine person who always put others first".

Reports at the time also indicated that Sehrish was engaged to be married when her life was tragically cut short.

A 21-year-old woman was also injured and taken to an east London hospital where she was treated for a minor stab wound to the shoulder and later discharged.

Ullah, of Jesmond Ave, Wembley, was dressed in a black curly wig and Phantom of the Opera mask with fake blood on it.

He was disarmed at the scene by officers who arrested him and was then taken to Royal London Hospital after knifing himself in the neck.

Ullah was charged with murder on September 25 and a plea of manslaughter was accepted in court last week.

At the Old Bailey Ullah admitted killing Sehrish Sheikh and causing grievous bodily harm to another woman.

The investigation was led by DCI Bob Mahoney at the Homicide and Serious Crime Command.

DCI Mahoney said: "This has been tragic case. I would particularly like to commend those officers - one a probationer - who were first on the scene and with total disregard to their own safety ran inside and disarmed the suspect of the knife he was holding.