Schizophrenic man beheaded friend

Graham Rayner, of Taverham, Norfolk, was a retired mechanic

A man suffering from paranoid schizophrenia decapitated a friend after he stopped taking the necessary medication, a court heard.

Garnet Hooper, 54, of Attlebridge, Norfolk, attacked Graham Rayner, 64, of Taverham, Norfolk, with an axe in May.

He then put Mr Rayner's headless body in the boot of a car and drove off.

Hooper, who admitted manslaughter at Norwich Crown Court, was ordered to be detained indefinitely in a secure hospital under the mental health act.

Judge Peter Jacobs said the case was "worrying and disturbing".

Mr Rayner's family said "questions" needed to be asked about Hooper's care.

Health authority officials said Hooper's case had been analysed and a decision would be made as to whether an inquiry was needed.

We cannot forgive Garnet Hooper for what he did but we accept that they were the actions of a very ill man A spokesman for Mr Rayner's family

Hooper, who had suffered from schizophrenia for 20 years, had been placed in a secure hospital in 1991 after stabbing a member of his family. He was released into the community in 1996, lawyers said.

The torso and head of Mr Rayner were found in a green Montego car stopped by police on the A11 in Suffolk on 24 May this year.

Graham Parkins QC said Hooper had stopped taking medication in the weeks leading up to the killing of Mr Rayner.

Friends noticed that his mental state was deteriorating and he thought that televisions were listening to him, said Mr Parkins.

But the court was told that no-one realised that he might be capable of such extreme violence.

"It was becoming perfectly clear that this man was not taking necessary medication," said Judge Jacobs.

"It is a worrying and disturbing situation. I propose to make no further comment. That will be for others."

'Lessons to learn'

Judge Jacobs told Hooper: "You considered you would have to kill somebody because that was the way your uncontrolled urges were leading you."

A spokesman for Mr Rayner's family said after the hearing: "We cannot forgive Garnet Hooper for what he did but we accept that they were the actions of a very ill man."

The spokesman added: "We are keen that questions are asked of the mental health services' procedures and of the individuals concerned with his care.

"Lessons need to be learned to help prevent another family going through what we are."