Trust condemned for 'missed opportunities' in care of woman who stabbed pensioner to death

An independent report has criticised the failings in a hospital trust's care of a woman with schizophrenia, who broke into a grandmother's home and stabbed her 73 times.

Andrea Cutler entered the home of Sandra Bainbridge in Belper, in Derbyshire, while Ms Bainbridge was on holiday in December 2013.

70-year-old Ms Bainbridge returned from Turkey to find Andrea Cutler had taken over her 18th century listed cottage and assumed her identity.

Cutler stabbed her 73 times and left her body under a duvet in her back garden.

She was later convicted of manslaughter with diminished responsibility.

Cutler, who had a history of drug use, had been treated by Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

In an independent report, published today, NHS England identified "missed opportunities" by the trust in the lead up to the killing, prompting a number of recommendation for improvements.

Ms Bainbridge's family have condemned the trust, criticising Cutler's care as being "unacceptably poor".

Andrea Cutler was as convicted of manslaughter with diminished responsibility of the victim.

Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has offered its "sincere condolences" to all those affected by the case.

It has apologised for the areas "where we could and should have provided better and more joined up care".

The trust said it has also developed a process to ensure the failings from the case are not repeated.

MIND the mental health charity blogs for ITV News Central following today's findings