Killing could have been prevented

Dec 15 2007 by Audrey Barton, The Journal

THE family of a mentally ill man who hacked his best friend to death with an axe spoke of its “vindication and devastation” yesterday after a damning report said the fatal attack could have been prevented.

The parents of paranoid schizophrenic Garry Taylor believe responsibility for his friend Colin Johnson’s death lies with those who failed to care for their disturbed son.

The Taylor family, of Sunderland, begged their local mental health trust for help on 83 occasions as their son’s condition worsened and he collected a cache of weapons as he suffered terrifying delusions.

But they were turned down each time they asked for help.

Taylor’s mother, Sarah, of High Barnes, and his brother Les, of South Hylton, have spoken in the past of how their had repeatedly warned that Garry was like a “timebomb”.

Now they are calling on mental health services to listen to other Sunderland families who, they say, have been dismissed in the same way, to prevent a repeat of the avoidable atrocity.

Health chiefs yesterday apologised, saying the death of the father-of-two weighs heavily on their conscience although no disciplinary action has been taken over the tragic attack.

An independent inquiry branded the treatment of Taylor and his family “wholly unacceptable” yesterday and recommended lessons should be learned at a national level.

The death of Mr Johnson, at his home in Pickering Road, Pennywell, on January 17, 2004, could have been prevented if the management of the delusional 38-year-old’s treatment had been carried out to the correct standards, according to the report.

Valerie Minns, spokesperson for the Taylor family and mental health charity Rethink Trustee, said the family were grateful to the inquiry for its “thoroughness, depth and breadth”. “They hope people, especially the victim’s family, will now understand that they did their very best to help Garry with no help from the services who should have provided it.

“They strongly feel that the responsibility for the death lies with the agencies responsible for Garry’s care. They still cannot understand why no one took any notice of what they were saying.”

Worryingly, she claimed the family know of other families in Sunderland who have been dismissed in a similar way.

“The services must understand that they have to take notice of families who are begging for help and act on the information they are given.

“Although they feel vindicated by this report, it doesn’t alter the fact that two families have been destroyed by these events.”

Mr Johnson’s family were too distressed to comment on yesterday’s findings.

Taylor is detained in a secure psychiatric unit indefinitely after he admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility when he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court in September 2005. He almost beheaded Mr Johnson, 40, as he sat in an armchair at his home.

He had been planning the killing for days, harbouring delusions that Mr Johnson was having an affair with his girlfriend.

At the time of the offence, Taylor was living in the community and receiving care from South of Tyne and Wearside Mental Health Trust, now part of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust.

Mental health charity Rethink has called for national action to prevent the catalogue of failings that led to Taylor killing his friend.

Rethink Director of Public Affairs Paul Corry said the report was a “damning indictment of mental health services in Sunderland which must immediately lead to action to raise standards”.

He said: “Garry Taylor’s family tried time and again to get help but were shunned at every turn. Mental health services across the country must learn to listen to people with direct experience.

“Homicides involving people using mental health services are thankfully very rare, but one avoidable death is obviously one too many.”

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Timeline

June 1993 – GP records note Taylor was possibly depressed and paranoid, moody, suicidal and possibly schizophrenic.

During the same month Taylor assaulted both his parents and was referred to Cherry Knowle Hospital in Sunderland where he was diagnosed with a lesser paranoid psychotic illness relating to recreational drug abuse

September 1995 – Taylor stabbed his girlfriend repeatedly with a pair of scissors. He was arrested and sectioned.

Taylor was transferred to the Regional Secure Unit for assessment where he remained an inpatient for over a year.

July 1996 – While in the unit paranoid schizophrenia was diagnosed. It was stated following discharge he must be closely monitored and that he defaulted from taking his medicine.

August 1996 – Taylor’s mother repeatedly told social workers she was concerned her son could "hoodwink" staff.

November 1996 – Records showing the history of Taylor, including his diagnosis of severe condition paranoid schizophrenia, were made available by the unit to Cherry Knowle but were lost in the following period.

2001 – Taylor was refusing his medication injections.

August 2001 – On return from holiday abroad he assaulted a fellow passenger.

Taylor’s family said he was extremely paranoid and unwell.

February 2003 – Outreach worker wrongly assesses Taylor in ‘moderate’ bracket for violence and aggression when he should have been in the ‘severe’ banding.

April 2003 – Mrs Taylor told outreach workers her son needed sectioning. She told them he was very good at covering up his illness and that people would need to take account of the family’s story.

He was not admitted, but sent away from the hospital. He was not taking his medicine regularly and Mrs Taylor had to sneak it into his tea when she could.

May 2003 – Taylor’s mother informed outreach worker her son wanted to get a gun and that she had found something in his car that was "horrible" but she would not say what it was.

After the killing she disclosed this was an axe.

He was not admitted.

June 2003 – Outreach worker said Taylor was a "ticking time bomb" but nothing was done for 12 days.

Taylor’s mother contacted the trust to tell them her son was having "dreadful thoughts, too dreadful to tell" and he received a visit from outreach worker.

August 2003 – Taylor was alleged to have assaulted his brother, Leslie, with a knife, but his brother admitted he stabbed himself because they were desperate to have Taylor admitted to Cherry Knowle for treatment.

October 2003 – Taylor’s family wrote to the trust saying they could not cope any longer. His mother rang the trust later that day to say he had bought a knife and she was concerned of his intentions.

There is no documentary evidence to show whether this was acted on.

December 2003 – Mrs Taylor was upset as her son was "OK" but she believed it was "the quiet before the storm".

January 17 2004 – Taylor killed Colin Johnson.

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