An Interview with a 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 attend interviews of children and vulnerable adults if a parent or other suitable person was not available. When I worked out-of-hours it was common to spend many hours at night sitting with a child or young person while they were interviewed for a suspected offence.

From time to time, we were asked to attend interviews with adults with mental disorders or learning difficulties. These were usually for the most serious offences.

Sean had been arrested for murder. He had a history of drug misuse and petty crime and was working in a local poultry processing plant gutting chickens.

The basic facts are these. After work, he had gone to the house of a woman he had had a brief relationship with some time previously, even though she had taken out an injunction. Her current boyfriend was there, and Sean was unhappy about this. The boyfriend told him to leave, but Sean insisted that he wanted to speak to the woman and began to approach her.

The boyfriend persisted, standing in front of the woman. Sean told him to get out of the way. The man refused. Sean took out his chicken gutting knife and again said he wanted to speak to the woman.

The man did not move, so Sean told him that he would stab him if he continued to interfere.

The man stood his ground, and Sean stabbed him.

Sean had earlier been interviewed in the presence of a solicitor, who happened to have a special interest in mental disorder.

She spoke to me privately when I arrived and was keen on my opinion as a mental health social worker as to whether Sean’s actions were the result of mental illness. She understood that Sean had involvement with the local forensic psychiatric service and had seen a psychiatrist within the last month.

Sean told us he wanted to make a statement on record, so I sat in the interview room with a police officer and his solicitor. What followed was quite chilling.

Sean began by telling us that there had all been a terrible mistake.

You see, he only wanted to talk to his ex girlfriend, because he was sure that if she knew how he felt about her, they could get back together again, but the other man kept telling him to get out and threatened to call the police.

Sean had told him to get out of the way and had told him that he would stab him if he didn’t, but as he wouldn’t do what he asked, he really had no choice but to carry out his threat.

You see, it was not his fault that the man had been stabbed. After all, he had warned him, so it was his own fault, you see.

It was clear that Sean genuinely believed that once he had explained it all to the police, they would say, “Ah, right, we understand now. Well, on your way, Sean, sorry we had to arrest you.”

This was one of the few occasions when I came face to face with a psychopath, someone who was unwilling to take any responsibility for his actions, however extreme, and was convinced that everyone else was to blame. Sean really did not, and could not, understand why the police should not simply let him go.

Sean was not released, but was remanded in custody, was tried and found guilty of murder, and was detained under s.37/41 Mental Health Act to a special hospital.