A court has heard how a man with bipolar disorder had approached various organisations for help before taking the life of his neighbour in 2008.
At a trial in Merthyr last week, Granville Jones admitted manslaughter on the ground of diminished responsibility and is now being detained under the Mental Health Act.
At the trial Judge John Curran said: “There needs to be a review to avoid this kind of tragedy being repeated.
“The health authority should investigate the circumstances in which this defendant’s behaviour and difficulty were not picked up on before this tragedy took place.
“This tragedy could and should have been avoided.”
Last month the Welsh Assembly Government’s Review of Secure Mental Health Services identified key objectives for service improvement in Wales following two homicides in 2003. One of the strategic objectives in the Review is “to ensure that rapid and effective response mechanisms to help prevent and to de-escalate crises are available within local service provision and that these are based on closer working partnerships involving mental health, social services and criminal justice agencies.”
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To read the Assembly Government’s Review of Secure Mental Health Services, click here.