Hospital for Tube murder bid man

The women were pushed from a Tube platform

A schizophrenic who tried to kill two women by pushing them off a Tube platform has been sent to a mental hospital indefinitely.

Christopher Studders, 40, pushed one woman on to a rail line at Euston station in May 2003.

Passengers waiting for the Northern Line tried to overpower him but he still shoved another woman, who did not fall onto the tracks.

Studders was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder at the Old Bailey.

His victims - architect Christine Goldsmith and production assistant Tamlyn Monson, both 33 - relived their ordeals from behind screens in court.

Persecution complex

Miss Goldsmith said climbing back to the platform she said a passenger stood in front of her to protect her. He asked Studders: "What are you trying to do? Are you trying to kill her?"

He replied: "Yes, I am trying to kill her", she said.

The court was told he should not have been allowed out for the day from St Luke's Hospital, in north London, where he had gone as a voluntary patient a month before.

Dr Katherine Bartlett said that Studders had a persecution complex and had been threatening to kill people.

Harm a child

Aftab Jafferjee, prosecuting, said Studders travelled to Stafford in Staffordshire for the day and smashed a window at a police station.

He told Dr Bartlett he was being persecuted by the police and the public.

He said they wanted him to harm a child and he came up with the idea of pushing the women on to the tracks as an alternative.

He was kept in custody when he said he would re-offend if he was released.

Bail granted

But magistrates gave him bail the next day.

In court, Studders said he had not asked for bail but thought it was to enable him to "do something else".

He took a train back to London and went to the Underground station.

The court was told Studders had suffered from paranoid schizophrenia since 1995 and had been in hospital on many occasions.

He was sentenced under the Mental Health Act.