An interview with an attempted murderer

 

Back in the 1980’s and 90’s, under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), social workers were often called upon by the police to fulfil the role of appropriate adult when interviewing children or vulnerable adults.

Requests to attend interviews with adults with mental disorders or learning difficulties were usually for the most serious offences.

So, one day I had a call from the local police station. That morning, a woman in her 60’s had literally crawled into the police station, covered in blood. She had twenty or more stab wounds. She was able to tell the police that her husband, George, had attempted to kill her by stabbing her repeatedly with a pair of scissors.

She was taken to hospital by ambulance. In the meantime, the police had attended her home, which was just round the corner from the police station. George answered to door and did not seem surprised to see them.

“Hello,” he had said. “I’ve just tried to kill my wife. I expect that’s why you’re here.”

I did some background checks. I discovered that George, who was 64, had been a patient of the mental health service for over 40 years.

I got hold of his community psychiatric nurse, who told me that George had a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. He had last had a psychiatric admission over 40 years previously. While in hospital, he had met his future wife, who at the time was a psychiatric nurse.

Since then, he had been maintained in the community through regular outpatient appointments and a fortnightly depot injection.

However, three months previously the community nurse had visited him for his depot, but George had politely refused. The nurse visited once more, and George had again politely but firmly refused.

His psychiatrist made an outpatient appointment, but George didn’t attend.

This is where things got a bit unusual. Because he had missed the appointment, the psychiatrist, rather than exploring other avenues, had discharged George from psychiatric services.

Prior to the formal police interview, I saw George in a side room. He smiled at me as I entered.

“George”, I began, “can you tell me what happened today?”

“I was arrested,” he said.

“Yes.”

“I was arrested for attempting to kill my wife.”

“Yes.”

“I stabbed her with a pair of scissors.”

“Why did you do that?”

“We’ve been married a long time, and I just thought it seemed like a good thing to do. They were the nearest thing to hand.”

“Did you have an argument?”

“No, I just thought it was about time.”

“Why did you stop having your depot injection?”

“I’ve been having one for decades. I haven’t complained. I just decided I didn’t want it anymore.”

“Did your wife know?”

“I told her the nurse had said I didn’t need it any more after all these years.”

I was unable to elicit any obvious paranoid delusions, and he was not obviously presenting with evidence of thought disorder.

He had not had any medication for several months, so maybe his mental illness was reasserting itself.

Whatever was going on with him, I knew he would not be being released any time soon.

After interview and charging, he would appear in court and would be detained in hospital under s.35 MHA for assessment.

And his psychiatrist would have some questions to answer.