Investigation launched over mental patient’s double killing

Rekawt Salih inflicted more than 100 stab wounds on Tracy Donnelly, the mother of his four-year-old son, and her daughter Louise Donnelly in Gleadless, Sheffield.

The 26-year-old, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, sought help from a mental health crisis team in March this year but there is no indication that any contact was made. The very next day he killed the women, who were in the house with his young son Daniel at the time.

Salih was sent to Rampton secure hospital, indefinitely, by Mr Justice Treacy at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday.

Sentencing him, the judge said: “The condition from which you suffer is one which is likely to last indefinitely.

“You require hospital treatment and pose a very high risk of serious harm being caused to the public.”

A spokesman for Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust (SHSC) said yesterday: “A full external investigation in to the incident will be carried out by NHS Yorkshire and the Humber in the future. SHSC will co-operate fully with this investigation.

“It is the policy of NHS Yorkshire and the Humber to publish the findings from the investigation, unless there are extenuating circumstances to prevent this.”

The court heard that, after being assessed in February 2010, Salih was supposed to have received supervision in the community.

It is unclear whether the mental health services knew Salih wasn’t taking his drugs, but the judge said it was a “matter which should be looked into”.

After stabbing Tracy and Louise Donnelly to death at their house in Ironside Road, Salih walked away from the scene barefoot.

He then drove off in his BMW and was stopped by armed police after a chase in which he collided with a group of students, leaving four of them injured,

Salih told police officers he couldn’t remember what had happened and, on the way to hospital, kept repeating that he was “the son of God.”

Following Salih’s sentencing, a spokesman for SHSC said that an internal investigation had already been carried out into the “circumstances leading up to and during the incident.”

The findings will not be disclosed until the latest investigation has been carried out.