A man who used a high-powered hunting crossbow to shoot and injure two people in random and unprovoked attacks in west London has been given a hospital order.
At just after 8pm on September 14 2020, Andrew Ramdeen, 30, shot a 33-year-old man in the torso from six feet with a crossbow bolt in Pield Heath Road, Uxbridge
The man suffered a ruptured aortic artery and punctured internal organs, losing five litres of blood, with the Metropolitan Police saying his life was “undoubtedly saved” due to the expertise and skill of medical staff.
A month earlier he shot a 19-year-old man from 146ft at just before 10.30pm in The Greenway, with a bolt slicing the victim’s ear before striking a parked car.
Police said the victim’s injury was not life-threatening but a slight variation in the course of the bolt “could have been fatal”.
On Friday, Ramdeen, of Green Lane, Northwood, was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court to a section 37 hospital order after pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent following the attacks, according to the force.
The judge said he considered Randeem dangerous and that, had a hospital order not been an option, he would have passed a sentence of 14 years and nine months.
Detectives linked the two incidents due to the location and weapon used, with witnesses describing a white van without a registration number leaving the scene on both occasions.
They discovered that it was a company delivery vehicle fitted with a tracking device, which identified Ramdeen as the attacker.
After arresting Ramdeen on September 21 2020, officers searched his address and found an Anglo Arms Panther 175lb hunting crossbow – with bolts matching those from the attacks.
CCTV also revealed him entering the property with the weapon.
The Met said the motivation behind the attacks has never been fully established.
Under current legislation, it is an offence for anyone under 18 to purchase or possess a crossbow and for anyone to sell a crossbow to someone aged under 18.
Crossbows may also be considered offensive weapons and are prohibited from being carried in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.
Home Secretary Priti Patel ordered the Home Office to look at strengthening controls on owning the lethal weapons after a 19-year-old man was arrested at Windsor Castle on Christmas Day while allegedly in possession of a crossbow.
Detective Inspector Daniel McInerney said: “It’s no exaggeration to say that in both instances the difference between life and death was but a matter of millimetres.
“If the variation of the bolts had been ever so slightly different, two sets of families would have lost a loved one and we’d have been looking at two very different investigations.
“It’s pure good fortune that the second victim was so close to a hospital. The doctors and nurses saved this man’s life.”
He added: “Though Randeem’s motive has never been established, the judge has been clear that he is considered a danger to the public and he has been sentenced appropriately.”
