Schizophrenic locked up for killing his brother, nine

Daniel Taylor, 21, attacked nine-year-old Jack at their sister's house in February last year, leaving him with horrific injuries.

Today, a judge ordered Taylor to be detained indefinitely at the top-security Rampton Special Hospital in Nottinghamshire.

Taylor admitted manslaughter due to diminished responsibility at an earlier hearing.

He sat in the dock today surrounded by guards and carers and showed no emotion as the court was told about the attack on his brother and his history of mental health problems.

The court was told he had doted on Jack when he was born, they were close and he loved him very much.

But Simon Bourne-Arton QC, prosecuting, said Taylor had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia a number of years earlier and also had problems with cannabis use and alcohol.

From May to August 2009 he was admitted to Lynfield Mount Hospital in Bradford and, when he was released, he was monitored by a community mental health team.

But, the court heard, he would often fail to take his medication and eventually his condition began to deteriorate.

Mr Bourne-Arton said he was hearing voices and became more threatening to his family.

The day before the attack his family tried to contact the mental health team as his mother became more and more concerned about his behaviour.

His mother said Taylor was due a benefits payment which she feared he would spend entirely on cannabis, the judge heard.

She then found he had burned a picture of himself and was "out of his head".

Mr Bourne-Arton said Taylor's key care worker was away and on February 18, the day of the attack, his team had training which meant the message was not picked up until the afternoon.

Members of the team did visit Taylor at home later in the day.

The prosecutor said they stayed for about 20 minutes and left after concluding "there was no immediate problem or crisis".

Five hours later, he said, Taylor picked up a 8.7in (22cm) kitchen knife and went looking for his brother, Mr Bourne-Arton said.

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Page 2: 13:22Mr Bourne-Arton described how Taylor went round to his sister Rachel's house on nearby Rookes Avenue, brandishing the knife and a piece of wood.

Rachel, 19, bravely tackled her brother and managed to get the knife off him but ended up being seriously injured.

Taylor continued into the house, picked up another knife and caught up with Jack.

Rachel had to leave court along with her father, Tim, as the judge was told of the horrific attack which followed.

Mr Bourne-Arton said: "He caught up with Jack and stabbed him repeatedly, clearly with considerable force."

He said there were multiple gaping wounds on the boy's body and one of these severed his spinal cord.

The prosecutor said the attack started in the kitchen and ended up in the garden.

The brothers' father turned up to find his older son waiting outside the house.

Taylor pointed to the alleyway and his father then found his younger son's body.

Police recovered two bloodied knives - one 22cm and another 32cm (12.6ins) long.

After Taylor was arrested he made no comment to police and displayed "bizarre" behaviour at Doncaster Prison involving dancing around and complaining of hearing voices.

He was later transferred to Rampton, the court was told.

Giving evidence from the Old Bailey via videolink, consultant psychiatrist Professor Nigel Eastman told the court all the experts who had looked at the case concluded Taylor was suffering from an abnormality of mind at the time of the attack.

He was asked whether the defendant's heavy cannabis use, which began at the age of 14, contributed to the offences.

The professor said: "In my opinion they (the offences) were driven by his psychotic mental disorder."

Sentencing Taylor for manslaughter and the offence of wounding his sister, which he also admitted, Judge James Goss QC said he was satisfied he presented a continuing danger to himself and others.

He said his mental health had been deteriorating and noted how his family had contacted the mental health team shortly before the attack.

The judge said Taylor's condition "was not considered any problem by the health professionals who saw him" on the day.

Judge Goss offered his condolences to the Taylor family who he said had provided loving support to Taylor through his illness and had suffered a terrible tragedy.

He was a given a letter to read from a family friend which said: "It wasn't Daniel that took Jack's life, it was his illness."

Taylor, who has short, spiky blond hair, sat in the dock wearing a grey tracksuit over a grey t-shirt.

He glanced occasionally over to his family as the proceedings progressed but showed no emotion.

After the hearing, Detective Superintendent Sukhbir Singh, from West Yorkshire Police, said Taylor had not given any explanation for why he suddenly decided to turn on the brother he loved.

Mr Singh said the incident had devastated a close-knit family.

The officer said he could not answer any questions about Taylor's community care.

The case is subject to an ongoing Serious Case Review by the local Safeguarding Board which is due to be completed later this year.