Pickaxe rampage of hospital worker
Attacker accused of trying to kill three colleagues
A HOSPITAL maintenance worker chased colleagues through a car park with a pickaxe during a violent rampage, a court heard yesterday. Matteo Bottarelli, 44, is accused of attempting to murder three fellow workers in north London on June 21 last year.
Bottarelli cut one colleague’s throat with a scalpel and attacked others with a mattock, a pickaxe-like tool, the court was told. Trevor McGuire and Gideon Tesfay were left with serious head and neck injuries.
Meanwhile Mark Quigley – Bottarelli’s line manager at Central Middlesex Hospital – managed to escape unscathed, jurors at Wood Green Crown Court heard.
Bottarelli previously pleaded guilty to wounding Mr McGuire and Mr Tesfay with intent, but denied attempting to murder them and Mr Quigley.
At the start of Bottarelli’s trial, prosecutor Sean Larkin showed jurors CCTV footage of Bottarelli chasing Mr Tesfay around the hospital car park, mattock in hand. Bottarelli charges at Mr Tesfay, who attempts to evade his attacker by hiding behind cars. Bottarelli brandishes the mattock and tries to get to Mr Tesfay, but eventually gives up and heads back inside the hospital. Mr Larkin explained that this incident came after Bottarelli had already attacked Mr Tesfay with a scalpel.
He said: ‘Bottarelli went into the canteen area, holding the mattock. Mr Tesfay said someup thing like, “This is a place to eat, why bring that in here?”, and Bottarelli put it down.
‘But as Mr Tesfay went to put his food in the microwave, Bottarelli put his left hand around Mr Tesfay’s neck, and raised his right hand, in which he had a scalpel. He then began to move the scalpel across Mr Tesfay’s neck.’ Mr Larkin said Bottarelli then went ‘into an office, went to another colleague... at his desk and, using the mattock, brought it down on his scalp multiple times. Mr McGuire sustained three injuries, one to the back of his head, one to his left temple, and one to his face’.
Jurors were also shown CCTV of Bottarelli charging at Mr Quigley with the mattock. In the short clip, the pair first pass each other in an alleyway outside the hospital – briefly stopping to exchange a few words.
Mr Quigley then walks away, but Bottarelli runs towards Mr Quigley’s back with the mattock raised over his head, ready to strike. But Mr Quigley turns around and Bottarelli stops.
Mr Larkin told jurors: ‘If you are using a weapon in that manner, you know what is to happen. We suggest these acts are attempted murder.
In addition to the mattock, a number of knives and scalpels were later recovered from Bottarelli’s home after he was arrested. The trial continues.
‘Acts of attempted murder’