FAMILY’S TRIBUTE TO MUM BRUTALLY KILLED BY ‘PSYCHOTIC’ KILLER
Man given indefinite hospital order after death of gran
PSYCHOTIC killer Kenneth Mcdermid must be held in a secure hospital until he is no longer a danger to the public, a court has ruled
Mcdermid, below, bludgeoned 71-year-old Wendy Morse to death in a ‘brutal’ attack at her Knypersley home, before fleeing to Sweden, in March, 2020.
The 43-year-old has now been given an indefinite hospital order after admitting to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
Psychiatric experts told Stafford Crown Court that other inmates and staff could be at risk if the 43-year-old was held in a prison.
Mcdermid, of Rosemary Place, Sneyd Green, has a 20-year history of mental illness and was previously being treated in the community. But he had stopped taking his prescribed medication prior to the killing, as it was making him tired.
He worked as a handyman, and on March 19 he had gone to carry out work at Mrs Morse’s property in Tunstall Road, Knypersley.
The court heard that shortly after arriving Mcdermid launched a ‘sustained and vicious assault’ on the pensioner, beating her on the head with a blunt object many times. He continued to strike her even after she was no longer able to defend herself.
Mcdermid then wrapped his victim’s body in plastic and left the house, taking Mrs Morse’s phone and car.
The following day, Mcdermid burnt the phone and the boots he had been wearing in a bonfire, and bought a plane ticket to Sweden, where his brother lives.
Police arrived at Mrs Morse’s home on March 22 after her family raised concerns. A cloth with Mcdermid’s DNA was found shoved in Mrs Morse’s mouth, while a toolbox splattered with the victim’s blood was recovered from the defendant’s home.
On March 27 Mcdermid was arrested by Swedish police, and was extradited back to the UK two months later.
The court heard from three psychiatric experts who said the defendant was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, and that the only way of protecting the public would be by keeping Mcdermid in a secure hospital, rather than a prison.
Dr Jon Kennedy, the prosecution psychiatric expert, described the defendant as ‘floridly pyschotic’.
He said: “He did not in any way explain why he had committed the offence. But what is clear from the records and from the police interviews, is that before and after the offence he was completely preoccupied by delusional beliefs, believing himself to be the subject of persecution by government authorities, that he was being interfered with by aliens. “His illness, in my opinion, isn’t curable.”
Dr Melanie Higgins, who gave evidence on behalf of the defence, said the mismatch between Mcdermid’s ‘pleasant and courteous’ outward appearance and his inner mental state was the greatest she had ever seen.
She agreed with the assertion that Mcdermid was among the ‘most mentally disordered’ patients currently being held in a psychiatric hospital in the UK.
Judge Kristina Montgomery accepted the expert evidence and sentenced Mcdermid to a hospital order and restriction order under the Mental Health Act. He will only be released from the hospital order once a mental health tribunal has ruled that he no longer presents a risk to the public.
Judge Montgomery told the defendant: “You have been repeatedly challenged about your killing, and you have never offered an explanation for it.
“What is certainly known is that at the time of this offence you were severely mentally disordered. But you masked to some great extent your inward turmoil by an outward appearance of normality.”
Following the conclusion of the case, Mrs Morse’s son and daughter paid tribute to their mother.
They said: “Mum was a truly unique and irreplaceable woman taken from us too soon.
“The actions and choices of Mr Mcdermid caused the horrific death of our mum. Fortunately, we are left with happy memories of how mum influenced all of our lives. We hope her death will lead to improvements in mental and social care.
“Thank you to Staffordshire Police for all their efforts and support.”