A man told his mum he “wanted her to be with Jesus” before stabbing her with a kitchen knife during a psychotic episode.
Andrew Williamson, 40, stabbed his mother Barbara at their home before walking out onto the road wearing a dressing gown and telling police he did it to help her.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today that Williamson had not drunk or taken drugs and instead suffered an acute mental health episode brought on by extreme stress.
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He was detained in hospital today after a judge said the state of his mental health meant he continued to pose a risk to himself and others. Trevor Parry-Jones, prosecuting, said Mrs Williamson, then 70, called police late on the evening of April 20, 2021, to tell them she had been stabbed.
Officers went to her home, where Williamson had been staying. As they approached, they saw Williamson come towards them wearing only a dressing gown and socks with no shoes on. When they stopped to speak to him they saw he had blood on him and quickly admitted what he had done.
Mr Parry-Jones said: “Mr Williamson explained to the officer that he wanted his mother to be with Jesus. He said 'I think she is, I think she is' but never finished the sentence.”
Officers then went to the house and found Mrs Williamson with multiple stab wounds, the most serious of which was to her abdomen. She was taken to Fazakerley Hospital and required an operation to halt internal bleeding caused by the six inch kitchen knife Williamson had used to attack her. She said he had tried to strangle her after stabbing her and believed he was “doing her a favour” by making her be with God.
Mrs Williamson later told police Williamson had begun to act strangely days before, saying he had been agitated when he saw signs requiring people to wear masks on trains to contain the spread of Covid-19. He also said he was interested in a conspiracy theory that the pandemic was part of a plot “to cull the world’s population in an attempt to save the planet”. Williamson had also reported seeing a “satanic” being inside a car. Williamson was later charged with attempted murder and pleaded guilty earlier this year.
Dr Inti Qurashi, a consultant forensic psychiatrist who assessed Williamson, said he had a long history of mental illness and it was likely that stress caused by a number of factors had caused him to suffer from an acute psychological illness. He said Williamson had suffered from stress due to work and the pandemic and that his conservative Christian upbringing could have influenced the way it presented itself in him.
Recommending Williamson be detained in hospital, Dr Qurashi said: “My recommendation is disposal by means of a hospital order with a restriction order. The necessary criteria are satisfied in that Mr Williamson is experiencing a mental health illness of a nature and degree warranting detention in hospital.”
Christopher Stables, defending, said the defence’s own mental health expert came to the same conclusion and appealed to the judge to follow those recommendations. He added that Williamson’s sister and aunt had provided references for him, as had Mrs Williamson herself.
Mr Stables said: “It is clear the defendant had a close relationship with his mother. He loved her before the incident and he continues to love her afterwards.”
Judge Stuart Driver QC said Williamson’s behaviour was driven by his acute mental health problems and said he should continue to be treated at The Spinney Hospital in Atherton, where he has been for a number of months.
He said: “I am satisfied that you were, at the time of the offence and are today, suffering from a mental disorder which may be categorised as either paranoid schizophrenia or a recurring psychotic disorder with schizophrenic symptoms. I am satisfied that the disorder is of a nature which means you should be detained in a hospital for medical treatment.”
Williamson was detained under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act and can only be discharged under the approval of the Secretary of State.
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