Mental illness sparked violent attack on victim

An armed attacker who targeted a man he believed was holding his girlfriend hostage has been cleared of all wrongdoing – because he was mentally ill at the time.

Stephen Cunningham, 32, attacked Grant Mackintosh, 62, with a hammer and knife at his home in Renfrew.

It’s understood Cunningham, who lived in the same block of flats as Mr Mackintosh, believed his victim had abducted his girlfriend and was holding her hostage.

But Cunningham did not have a girlfriend and the episode was due to his paranoid schizophrenia, alcohol abuse and other mental health problems.

Believing Mr Mackintosh had his girlfriend locked in his flat and was torturing her, Cunningham crashed through the door wielding a knife and a hammer, on December 19, 2017. He began attacking Mr Mackintosh with the weapons in the flat in Ferguson Street, Renfrew.

Mr Mackintosh suffered a head injury and slash wounds to his arms during the attack, but managed to overpower Cunningham.

The attacker was left in such a state after Mr Mackintosh fought back that he had to be taken to hospital himself to be treated for injuries he sustained.

Cunningham spent nine days in hospital after the attack, and first appeared in the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court in connection with the case on December 29, 2017, charged with attempted murder.

He was taken to court by police, due to his mental health problems, and Sheriff James Spy ordered that he be held in a psychiatric hospital so he could receive treatment for his conditions.

The charge was later downgraded to a charge of assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement, and possession of weapons. Cunningham made a number of court appearances in connection with the case.

At a pre- trial hearing last month, defence solicitor Alastair Gray said Cunningham’s pleas of not guilty would be accepted by prosecutors due to them accepting his special defence that he was not criminally responsible for his actions at the time due to his mental conditions.

And at a pre-trial hearing his pleas of not guilty were accepted – after Dr Gavin Reid, a consultant forensic psychiatrist at the Rowanbank Clinic, told procurator fiscal depute David McDonald he was satisfied Cunningham carried out the attack due to his mental illnesses.

Sheriff Tom McCartney then made Cunningham the subject of a Compulsion Order and Restriction Order under mental health legislation, meaning Cunningham will be held in hospital to receive treatment for his conditions.