Smiling side by side, this is the company director and the lover he is accused of trying to stab to death while she was heavily pregnant.
Babur Karamat Raja, 41, will face Birmingham magistrates this morning charged with two counts of attempting to murder Natalie Queiroz.
The sports-car driving businessman also faces allegations of assault, attempted child destruction and possession of a knife.
Smiling side by side, this is the company director and the lover he is accused of trying to stab to death while she was heavily pregnant.
Babur Karamat Raja, 41, will face Birmingham magistrates this morning charged with two counts of attempting to murder Natalie Queiroz.
The sports-car driving businessman also faces allegations of assault, attempted child destruction and possession of a knife.
Miss Queiroz, 40, was said to have been days from giving birth to their child when she was attacked in daylight outside a Baptist church in the West Midlands town of Sutton Coldfield on Friday.
Police said she had been repeatedly stabbed in the arm and stomach.
Despite her wounds, the mother of two, who worked as a product development manager for a pharmaceutical company, had a baby girl by caesarean section hours later.
The divorcee was stable at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham last night, where the infant ‘continues to do well’.
Police revealed how five passers-by including a prison guard offered first aid to the victim and help detain the suspect until officers arrived.
Relatives of Miss Queiroz, who was said to have set up home with Mr Raja months ago on the outskirts of Sutton Coldfield, praised the heroes’ ‘fearlessness and selfless actions’ in saving the lives of both mother and baby, adding in a statement: ‘We are overwhelmingly grateful to you all.’
Mr Raja, who is known as Bobby Karamat, shared a five-bedroom £400,000 detached home with his mother on the edge of a golf course in Sutton Coldfield before moving in with Miss Queiroz.
It is not known if they were still together when the attack took place.
The suspect is a Facebook friend of Birmingham Labour MP Khalid Mahmood. He confirmed he knew Mr Raja ‘from the community’ and said he was ‘shocked and horrified’ by the incident.
Company records show Mr Raja is a director of Mercedes-Benz specialists Haden in the city.
Co-director Salim Akhtar, 50, said Mr Raja had been ‘over the moon about becoming a father’ and seemed ‘absolutely normal’ when he left work on Friday.
Company director: Babur Karamat Raja (pictured), 41, from Sutton Coldfield, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a heavily pregnant woman in the street
‘He is a 100 per cent decent guy who is well educated and has never been in any trouble. The victim was his girlfriend. They’d been together over a year. She was due to give birth within days. Nobody can understand it.’
Another friend, Phil Oldenshaw, described Mr Raja as a ‘lovely man’. A third called Mr Raja’s arrest ‘out of character’.
Yesterday prison guard Daniel Birch, 26, told how he rugby tackled the suspect knifeman to the ground – despite having a broken arm in a sling.
Carrying bags of shopping, he arrived at the same time as the police and ‘went straight for the man’s knees’. One of the four other bystanders grabbed ‘a bloody knife with his bare hands’, he said.
Drama student Christian Blundell, 17, said he saw a ‘man with a hood’ punching the victim.
‘My mate threw him off her and I grabbed him by the shoulder and the arm,’ he added. ‘I saw this guy had a weapon in his hand still and I just kept thinking I needed to keep it away from me.’
Christian and another man suffered minor injuries after intervening in the attack. Another three men helped at the scene.
The drama student at Birmingham Ormiston Academy, said: 'I was only doing my civic duty, I do not class myself as a hero.
'I never thought I'd see that much blood, I've never felt so panicked in my life. I was so worried I couldn't tell if she was alive or dead, her hair was soaked red, I couldn't even tell what colour her natural hair was.
'The image of her on the floor is something that I will never be able to not see, you don't forget that kind of thing.
'I did think about the danger I was in, but I'm not somebody who would let an incident pass me by and I had to do something, I hate violence.
Proud father Alan Blundell, 51 from Sutton Coldfield with his son, Christian, 17, who helped stop a
Babur Karamat Raja is listed as a company director at Mercedes-Benz specialists Haden Birmingham and lives in a £406,000 house on Monmouth Drive
Pregnant woman critically injured after stabbing
'I saw a man with a hood who looked around 40 or 50, there was a blade on the floor and he was swinging a black jagged handle.
'When I got to him he was punching the woman, we saw him punch her at least two times before we could get to her.
'My mate threw him off her and I grabbed him by the shoulder and the arm. I saw this guy had a weapon in his hand still and I just kept thinking I needed to keep it away from me.
'When the police arrived they moved people away then called me and my mates over to them.'
Mr Birch, a prison custody officer at Birmingham Prison who works for security firm G4S, said he had been shopping at Aldi when he heard the woman's screams while standing at the bus stop.
'I only usually get the bus to go to work, but I had so much shopping with me so I decided to get the bus,' he said.
I never thought I'd see that much blood, I've never felt so panicked in my life. I was so worried I couldn't tell if she was alive or dead
Drama student Christian Blundell
'I was standing at the bus stop and heard the awful noise of screaming and shouting. I ran like a lunatic with my shopping and got there just as the police did.
'There were two men there already when we arrived, and they had cornered the man in the car park.
'One man was shouting for help and the other was detaining the man.'
He added: 'When I arrived, I went straight for the man's knees as the police grabbed his arms.
'I broke my arm a few weeks ago after being knocked over by a cyclist. I did the best I could do as my arm is in a sling.
'I saw one of the other guys grab a bloody knife with his bare hands. My hands were covered in blood. It took me hours to wash it off.
'It's scary to think that if I decided to walk home instead, then I might not have heard the woman screaming. I was in the right place at the right time.'
Meanwhile, teenager Christian told how after intervening in the attack he helped police and the woman while they waited for an ambulance to arrive.
He also went to a local McDonald's to get a drink and coat to help keep the woman warm, before taking napkins to help tend to her wounds.
Christian said: 'I did everything I could to keep the woman stable while she lay on the floor.
'I had to wash the blood off my hands afterwards and tried to help her with her wounds before an ambulance arrived.
'The woman was breathing but did not say anything, she was unresponsive.
'I really did think she was dead and thought we'd got there too late and just kept thinking we need to get this sorted.
'The old man who was there as well also did the best he could, we were frustrated about how long it took me and my friends to get to the woman and felt bad that we weren't there to intervene sooner.
'I got the woman a coat and drink to try and help her in some way and some napkins from McDonald's to try and wipe the blood away.
'It is the last thing anyone needs, let alone a heavily pregnant woman.
'I calmed down a bit when the air ambulance came and I watched as the police put the guy in the police van.
A 41-year-old man was arrested by West Midlands Police in connection with this afternoon's incident
'The police said that we'd done well and that we had taken the law into our own hands, but we had shown that the people of Sutton Coldfield are good citizens.
'I did what anybody should do in that situation, I feel bad for bad for getting my mum so worried, but called her as soon as I possibly could.
'I couldn't sleep Friday night, it's all I could think about all evening, I couldn't get over what had happened.
'I hope others would follow what I did and be a good person in that situation.'
Christian happened to passing by with his friends to get food when he heard cries for help.
When I arrived, I went straight for the man's knees as the police grabbed his arms
Daniel Birch
He said: 'When we heard the screaming we thought it was two drunken men fighting, and I was so freaked out by the fact that she was pregnant and covered in so much blood so quickly.
'I cannot believe that this happened in broad daylight and in public, as soon as I got to the police station for them to take my statement and I asked them how the baby and mum were doing.
'I just wanted to know that the child was alright. I would be devastated if the baby had been hurt, I was concerned about the woman as she looked like she was ready to give birth any day.
'She was about to become a mum, I could not stand that, I would feel so guilty if the child had died and we'd got there too late – thank god we got there when we did.
'I would love to see both mum and baby and check that they are both okay if I got the chance.'
Another teenager who intervened in the attack, Callum Gibson, from Birmingham, said: 'The first thing I knew that there was something going on was when we came round the corner and saw the scene.
Forensic teams arrive at the scene, pictured, to comb the area for evidence as crowds watch on
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Forensic teams arrive at the scene, pictured, to comb the area for evidence as crowds watch on
'I had been coming home from work but had met up with my friends at Sutton Market because one of them gets the same bus as I do.
'I ran up to the man and dragged him off a woman, an older bloke was also shouting help at the time.
'Initially I thought it was two blokes having a scrap but when I got closer I realised it was a man hurting a woman. I just wanted to help her straight away, that's why I jumped in.
'I could see she was pregnant. At the time I didn't see what she looked like as she was covered up and there was a lot of blood on her.
'I don't think she deserved what she went through at all, the woman was silent and didn't speak but I think she was still conscious.
'I remember grabbing the guy by the hood and throwing him to the floor.
'At the time I didn't notice my friends, all I could concentrate on was the woman and making sure she was okay.
'What I did was basic human instinct. I don't want to be a hero, I was doing what any person would.'
Meanwhile, Christian's father, Alan, 52, a plasterer said: 'I am so proud of my son, the first thing I knew I had a call from my wife to say that Christian has been involved in an incident.
Police say they believe the attack was carried out with a knife and inquiries continue at the site of the attack
'My wife said that he'd phoned and he was really shook up and a bit teary.
'If my son and his mates had not been there, things could've ended very tragically.
'I am very proud that he had the moxie and stood up for the woman and stepped in to help out where he could.'
Christian's mother Debbie, 49, who runs her own business said: 'Christian rang me as soon as the police got there in a panic, he was talking to the police at the same time.
'I didn't know how much had actually happened at the time, I got in the car immediately though and drove straight to him.
'I was up all night worrying too, we didn't get out of the police station until gone midnight.
'I'm so proud of Christian and that he reacted the way he did in a fight or flight situation.
'But Christian is that kind of lad and wouldn't ever not step in to help somebody out, it doesn't matter who they are.
'As soon as I saw Christian I just threw my arms around with me and told him how proud I was, but to never worry me like that again.
The scene outside Sutton Coldfield Baptist Church Centre, pictured, which remains cordoned off yesterday
Police commended the actions of the Good Samaritans who intervened and prevented further injuries
'My son came out of it all okay, but as a mother you do worry, I just really hope the mum and baby are going to be okay.'
Other witnesses said they heard a woman scream 'not the baby' while men were heard shouting 'drop it' as the attack unfolded.
A large section of the area surrounding the busy town centre remained cordoned off as officers search for clues.
Force Incident Manager Julian Harper, from West Midlands Police, said: 'This happened in a busy area but I would reassure the community that a man has been arrested and we are working hard to understand the circumstances that led up to the assault.
'What is clear at this early stage is that two members of the public bravely stepped into what was a dangerous and volatile situation, with complete disregard for their own safety and I commend them for their actions.
'Fortunately they suffered only minor injuries.'
In a press conference, Chief Inspector Harper confirmed one man initially intervened in the attack before 'four younger males' got involved and 'prevented further injuries' to the woman.
He said: 'I would like to give a big thank you to those individuals who intervened. Their actions should be commended.
According to witnesses, the victim screamed 'not the baby' during the assault, which was stopped after several people intervened
According to witnesses, the victim screamed 'not the baby' during the assault, which was stopped after several people intervened
'At this time they [the victim] is in hospital and are in critical but stable condition. Our thoughts are with them and their family.'
The chief inspector confirmed the victim was stabbed 'multiple times' with what is believed to be a knife, and called the incident 'domestic-related'.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said an ambulance, paramedic area support officer, a BASICS doctor and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Cosford attended the scene.
A service spokesman said: 'Crews treated one female patient at the scene before she was airlifted to hospital.
'Two further patients were treated for minor injuries and taken to hospital by land ambulance.'
The stabbing happened in a side road next to the Sutton Coldfield Baptist Church Centre and close to the posh town's main shopping parade.
Witnesses said they heard people arguing before the incident, the woman scream 'not the baby' and male voices shouting 'drop it, drop it.'
A resident living just yards from where it happened, who did not want to be named, said: 'I heard shouting at around that time, but I just assumed it was workmen at the church.
'My son normally walks home that way from school but when he got there he found it all taped off by the police.
'There was a lot of activity. I'd say there was a crowd of about 50 people standing around taking pictures and filming it on their phones.
'It's very disturbing to think that a pregnant woman has been stabbed a few yards away from my front door. It's awful, and in broad daylight too.'
Another local resident added: 'We heard a lot of arguing and shouting and the next thing we know there were police everywhere.
'I heard male voices shouting 'drop it, drop it' and a woman screaming something about 'not the baby' or 'not our baby'. It was terrifying.
'She must have made a run for it up the side road but it was a dead end. He must have cornered her and that was it.'
Another witness Joe Owens, 19, said: 'This is a nice town and nothing like this happens around here.
'There were loads of people standing around to see what had happened. It was a bit ghoulish to be honest.
'Everyone is just praying that she and baby pulls through. It is an absolutely awful thing that has happened. The town is in a state of shock.
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