Man jailed for life for stabbing

Walker's family said he had been failed by mental health services

A man has been jailed for life for stabbing a neighbour to death and seriously injuring her partner.

Scott Walker, 27, from Grassington Close in Beaumont Leys, Leicester, denied murder and wounding with intent.

He attacked John Brightwell, 50, and stabbed and killed Debra Larn, 47, in September 2006, Nottingham Crown Court was told.

He visited the couple's home hours after Mr Brightwell's grand-daughter was mauled to death by two rottweilers.

Personality disorder

Five-month-old Cadey-Lee Deacon was attacked by the two dogs at the Rocket public house on Stephenson Drive, Leicester, in an unrelated incident.

About 10 hours later, Walker visited Mr Brightwell and Miss Larn to pay his condolences.

But fuelled by a combination of alcohol and drugs, his behaviour then became "increasingly abusive and aggressive" and he attacked the couple with a knife he fetched from their kitchen.

His defence had argued for a verdict of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility because of mental health problems but this was rejected by the jury.

Jailing him on Monday, the judge warned he may never be released because he had a personality disorder which makes him dangerous to the public.

Care review

Afterwards Walker's family said they felt he should have been given a lot more help over the years from the mental health services.

He had tried to get himself into hospital and some people described him in court as a "time bomb" waiting to go off.

Speaking outside court his brother Danny Walker said: "If my brother had been given the help when he himself had asked for it from the mental health authorities, this terrible tragedy would have been avoided."

On Monday, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust confirmed it had was investigating and had started a review into Scott Walker's care.

Debra Larn's three daughters told reporters that they were happy with the outcome and that now just wanted to grieve and to get on with their lives.