Birmingham stabbings: Knifeman with paranoid schizophrenia 'refused' key mental health assessments

Описание: A knifeman who stabbed a university worker to death in a violent stabbing spree missed a psychiatric assessment appointment four days before he struck, a court heard.

Zephaniah McLeod, who is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenic, slashed or stabbed seven other people in September 2020 in Birmingham.

The families of the victims of heard how he had been out of contact with health services since being released from prison that April.

Opening the case at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday, Karim Khalil QC said mental health services eventually made contact with McLeod and he had been due a "face-to-face" assessment with a psychiatrist but "refused" to attend.

Instead, during the home visit on September 3, a new date was set – but it was set for three weeks after his deadly assault.

Before he could be assessed, McLeod launched a violent series of attacks in the city centre in the early hours of September 6, 2020.

Mr Khalil said: "He armed himself with two large knives and aimed at parts of the body, namely the head, neck and chest where the most severe injuries would be likely to be caused.

"We suggest the fact some victims sustained physical injuries that weren’t as serious was purely by chance, rather than by design."

McLeod appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday for the start of a two-day sentencing hearing.

He had previously admitted the manslaughter of Jacob Billington, a talented musician and Sheffield Hallam University graduate, after stabbing the 23-year-old to death.

McLeod had also admitted four counts of attempted murder, including one attack which left a victim partially paralysed, and three separate offences of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.