‘Lapse in care’ of schizophrenic who

Solicitor argues for sufferers to get more help

A paranoid schizophrenic who tried to murder his daughter was allowed to self-medicate at home despite an obsession with weapons and a history of domestic violence.

Serious questions have been asked of the decision to trust Marc Traylor to treat himself after a jury decided he was insane when he tried to knife 16-year-old Kitanna to death.

Canterbury Crown Court heard that the 42- year- old – who once threatened to chop his wife’s head off with a samurai sword – had stopped taking antipsychotic medication when a community order ended in 2014.

In February last year, in the midst of a manic episode, he was shot three times by police as he repeatedly stabbed Kitanna at the family home in The Ave- nue, Hersden. He sustained lifechanging injuries and watched his attempted murder trial via an internet link from the hospital which is now his permanent home.

After he was found not guilty on Tuesday by reason of insanity, Mr Traylor’s solicitor Sean Caulfield argued there had been “a lapse in care” in his client’s mental health treatment.

“It is essential that families whose loved ones are affected by paranoid schizophrenia are supported and have access to the help needed to keep their loved ones well,” he said.

“Further, regular checks are needed on that individual’s mental health to ensure medication is being taken to avoid manic episodes, where possible.”

Courts had previously heard Mr Traylor had “an obsession with knives” and a fascination with firearms stretching back to childhood.

In 2002, police were called to a domestic incident at the house he shared with his wife Nicole in Maple Gardens, Hersden,where officers discovered a shotgun and live ammunition in the loft.

His solicitor said Mr Traylor had found the weapon when he moved in and decided to keep it out of an “immature boyhood fascination” with guns. Four years later a judge ordered Mr Traylor to go on a domestic violence programme when he threatened his wife with a samurai sword.

The couple had moved to Cumbria to run a pub, but had started to struggle under the weight of debts totalling more than £100,000.

After drinking, Mr Traylor took the sword off the wall and threatened to cut Nicole’s head off.

He received a nine-month suspended sentence after his family pleaded for leniency.

The family moved back to Canterbury and, in 2012, Mr Traylor started to suffer from paranoid delusions.

He was twice detained under the Mental Health Act and subjected to a community treatment order between June 2013 and June 2014.

He stopped taking medication for his condition when the order came to an end, but only told his wife a short time before the fateful night on February 8 last year.

It has since emerged he had a history of failing to take his tablets and hiding the fact from his family and professionals.

After the shooting, Mr Traylor has been left unable to drink, eat, walk or dress independently. Kitanna, who is now 18, suffered numerous lacerations and a cut liver in the sustained attack, which resulted in part of her bowel being removed.

Mr Caulfield said: “Sadly, the Traylor family has suffered the life-changing consequences of a lapse in Mr Traylor’s mental health care and he may now have to live in a supported unit for the rest of his life due to events of that night.

“The way the Traylor family have responded to such a dreadful event in their lives speaks volumes for their loyalty, courage and the strength of the family bond. Mr Traylor retains the support of all of his family.

“They understand he cannot be held responsible for his actions while suffering from such an illness.

“This has been a particularly distressing case for all concerned and, despite the severity of the charge, Mr Traylor’s family believe that justice has been served.”

Nicole Traylor has made a formal complaint to the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, which administers mental health treatment in the community.

She has been told the incident has sparked a serious case review of her husband’s care.

We asked the Trust if it knew about Mr Traylor’s history with weapons and domestic violence and whether in those circumstances it was appropriate for him to self-medicate at home.

Spokesman Kelly August said the Trust could not comment on whether he was one of its patients.

But she said: “Patients wish to have as fully independent life as possible which is supported by carers, family and friends.

“Part of this rehabilitation includes patients self-administering medication, one of the ways in which they are able to work towards improving their own health and wellbeing.

“We work closely with patients to reach a point where this is possible, which includes a thorough risk assessment process.

“Medication can be given without consent under the Mental Health Act, but the threshold is set by the strict guidance underpinning the use of the Act.”

Police officers in Hersden where Kitanna was stabbed by her father, Marc Traylor, right