Staff saw 'no crisis' before schizophrenic killed his nine year-old brother

A PARANOID schizophrenic stabbed his young brother to death hours after he was visited by mental health workers who concluded there was no "immediate problem" for them to address.

Daniel Taylor, 21, attacked nine-year-old Jack at their sister's home in Bradford in February last year inflicting multiple injuries, including one which severed his spine.

He also wounded his 19-year-old sister Rachel when she bravely took a kitchen knife from him as he went looking for his little brother.

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The previous day Taylor's family had become increasingly concerned about his behaviour and left a message for those at the Elms Mental Health Resource Centre in Bradford responsible for visiting him since his release from hospital in 2009.

Simon Bourne-Arton QC prosecuting told Bradford Crown Court yesterday two members of the team spent 20 minutes talking to Taylor and his mother on the afternoon of February 18 last year, considering when they left there was "no immediate problem or crisis for them to deal with".

Five hours later Taylor armed himself with a serrated kitchen knife at his home in Richardson Avenue, Wibsey, Bradford and calmly walked to his sister's home in nearby Rookes Avenue, asking her: "Where is he, where is he?"

She managed to take the knife from him, suffering injuries herself before fleeing with her young daughter to get help.

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Taylor then simply armed himself with two more knives from her kitchen and attacked his brother, his onslaught beginning in the kitchen and ending in the yard.

Their father rushed to the house where Taylor was, by then, waiting outside. He directed his father down a ginnel to where he found his younger son's body.

Police recovered two bloodied knives – one 22cm (8.6in) and another 32cm (12.6in) long.

Yesterday Taylor was ordered to be detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act after he admitted manslaughter due to diminished responsibility and wounding his sister.

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Judge James Goss QC ordered he be detained in Rampton Hospital for treatment, where he had been transferred after "bizarre" behaviour while on remand in prison.

He said he was satisfied Taylor presented a continuing danger to himself and others and expressed his condolences to his family for the tragedy.

The case is now subject to a Serious Case Review by the Bradford Safeguarding Children Board.

The court heard Taylor doted on Jack when he was born and was very close to him. He was diagnosed with attention deficit

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hyperactivity disorder when young and later developed schizophrenia. He also had a history of abusing skunk cannabis and alcohol.

He was in trouble from the age of 13, mainly for dishonesty, and received an Asbo in 2007 because of his behaviour but was always supported by his family, particularly his parents.

There had been incidents when he was violent to family members. On one occasion when his mother tried to stop him drinking vodka he punched her and butted his other sister, Elisha.

After his release from a detention and training order his mother noticed his behaviour becoming worse. He would not leave his bedroom for hours and broke picture frames.

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He was referred to Lynfield Mount Hospital and was there from May 2009 until August that year. After his release he was supported by the community mental health team which was responsible for monitoring his progress and making regular home visits. Members noticed by October and December he was not taking his medication regularly.

A few days before the killing his condition deteriorated – his mother found him taking pictures of himself out of their frames and burning the photographs, and he was removing light bulbs so he could be in darkness.

On February 17 his mother was particularly concerned. The next day he was due to get his benefits and she feared he would spend all the money on cannabis, making him act even more irrationally.

His grandfather left a message for the mental health team to call which was only picked up the next afternoon following a training session but which led to the visit by staff hours before the attack.

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After the offences Taylor told psychiatrists he had been hearing voices although never explained the attack or suggested they told him to harm his brother.

Robert Smith QC, for Taylor, said he was genuinely remorseful for his actions and the court heard how a neighbour had written to his family, saying: "It wasn't Daniel that took Jack's life it was his illness."

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