Son attacks report into murder of father by mentally-ill addict

Philip Hendy, 75, was knifed twice in the back and neck by delusional drug addict Stephen Newton, 43, after paying his newspaper bill near his home in Bristol in April 2007.

But the NHS South West report said the murder by the mental health patient could not have been reasonably predicted or prevented by Avon and Wiltshire Partnership Mental Health Trust.

The 100-page report, which placed responsibility of the death with Newton, was criticised by Mr Hendy's son Julian, of Leeds, as "seriously flawed" and "totally inadequate".

Newton was jailed for life after being convicted of murder – but Mr Hendy's son, believes he should never have been free to walk the streets in the first place.

The 52-year-old said: "Although today's report highlights a string of extremely serious failures by health care workers, shockingly it finds the killing was not preventable.

"We do not accept this finding. It ignores the repeated, basic failings in care. We believe that had these failings not occurred, in all probability our dad would still be alive today."

Mr Hendy, a documentary film maker, runs a website to campaign for victims' families in mental health deaths and said the problems identified by the report have been repeatedly highlighted in five previous local mental health homicide inquiries since 1997.

He said: "After waiting for over three-and-a-half-years, we expected a thorough and professional inquiry. What we've got is seriously flawed. It is totally inadequate.

"It doesn't ask the right questions, it doesn't meet best practice, and it doesn't even meet its own terms of reference. We feel badly let down. There is little evidence that mental health services nationally are really able to learn the lessons from such cases."

Mental health charity SANE has been closely involved with Newton's case and chief executive Marjorie Wallace is worried lessons will not be learned.

She said: "Stephen Newton had a history of mental illness, serial violence – including against his own mother – and of abusing street drugs in 'industrial' quantities. It is hard to imagine how much clearer the warning signs could be.

"Yet instead of consistent treatment for his drug and mental health problems, he was allowed to live in the community with minimal supervision. The findings of this inquiry echo 600 similar cases exposing fundamental failures to assess the risk posed by severely disturbed patients and to protect the public."

Newton, who was sentenced to life with a minimum of 16 years, was high on amphetamine and waited outside a newsagents for Mr Hendy to leave, Bristol Crown Court was told.

He then followed him and stabbed him twice in the back and neck with a kitchen knife. Mr Hardy died in hospital a week later.

Newton ranted for hours in police interviews about several fantastical conspiracies, such as being the secret love child of the Prince of Wales, and that George W Bush had kidnapped his daughter and arranged for his son to have a sex change to look like Kylie Minogue.

Liz Redfern, South West Strategic Health Authority director of nursing and patient care, said: "We note the key finding that this tragedy could not have been foreseen. However, there are important lessons to be learned and we are determined to see that this happens."