A teenager who tried to kill seven people in a frenzied knife rampage in Keighley may be detained in a high security hospital.

Raheem Nawaz, 19, pleaded guilty to seven offences of attempted murder, at Bradford Crown Court, on Monday.

Nawaz, in handcuffs and flanked by three prison officers, is being assessed by two psychiatrists with a view to being admitted to Rampton Hospital, in Nottinghamshire.

Nawaz, of Wilmer Drive, Heaton, Bradford, turned a reunion celebration into a bloodbath when he stabbed and slashed his victims with a six-inch bladed knife.

He struck in Keighley town centre as a group of former Ingrow Primary School kitchen staff gathered at the Livery Rooms, on North Street, for a curry club night.

His first victim was Mohammed Nazam, who was stabbed in Victoria Road. Mr Nazam, who had been living in Keighley for just two weeks, was on his way to the mosque.

Carol Owlett, Sarah Wade and Fiona Haughey were waiting for a taxi home from the reunion when they were attacked. Miss Wade was treated in intensive care at Airedale Hospital for multiple stab wounds. Her friends were slashed and stabbed.

Nawaz, currently being held in prison, will be sentenced by the Recorder of Bradford, Judge James Stewart QC, at the end of February.

Richard Wright, for the Crown, said Nawaz would be referred to a doctor at Rampton Hospital to see if he was suitable for admission.

Nawaz pleaded guilty to attempting to murder Mohammed Nazam on August 20 this year.

He also admitted attempting to murder Sarah Wade, Fiona Haughey, Carol Owlett, Fiona Moorhouse, James French and Majid Hussain on August 21.

Judge Stewart will decide whether to detain Nawaz in hospital under the Mental Health Act.

He will be asked to commend those who acted with public-spirited bravery on the night of the stabbings.

Det Supt Steve Payne, who led the investigation, said: “This was a truly shocking incident the likes of which is, thankfully, exceptionally rare, both in Keighley and, indeed, West Yorkshire.

“Nawaz was involved in two incidents where he struck out at a man known to him and completely innocent strangers with a ferocity that could have resulted in a number of people being killed.

“It is very fortunate no one died as a result of this appalling attack. I want to praise the bravery of members of the public who put themselves in a potentially life threatening situation to disarm and restrain this man.”