Woman who stabbed pensioner, 88, to death in supermarket detained under indefinite hospital order
Report by ITV Wales Correspondent Richard Morgan
Warning: Article contains descriptions of violence which some may find distressing.
A woman who killed a pensioner when he intervened to stop her attacking others in a supermarket has been detained under an indefinite hospital order.
88-year-old John Rees was stabbed and bludgeoned with two wine bottles and a fire extinguisher by Zara Radcliffe, 30.
Radcliffe, who was suffering from schizophrenia, attacked Andrew Price with a kitchen knife outside a Co-op store in the village of Pen y Graig, Rhondda, on 5 May this year.
Merthyr Crown Court heard the mother-of-one then ran inside the Co-op and attacked a passing nurse, Gaynor Saurin, who had tried to stop her attacking Mr Price.
Mr Rees stepped in when Radcliffe tried to stab Ms Saurin, but the defendant knocked him to the ground.
She then turned on another woman, nurse Lisa Way, and stabbed her to the neck before turning back on Mr Rees.
He continued kicking the attacker, which was said to have saved Ms Saurin's life.
Mr Rees lived in the nearby village of Trealaw with his wife Eunice, who was waiting for him in their car outside during the attack.
Prosecutor Michael Jones QC told the court: "The defendant walked towards him and Mr Rees kicked out at her again to defend himself.
"The defendant unleashed what can only be described as a horrifically violent attack upon Mr Rees.
"It was all captured on the store's CCTV and it continued until it was quite obvious he was dead."
Describing the CCTV, Mr Jones said: "He is obviously injured and weakened by the attack. He is on the floor on his back and slowly becoming less conscious.
"He was killed by the attack and so severely injured to the extent no attempts were made to revive him by paramedics.
"He was pronounced dead at the scene."
The court heard police arrested Radcliffe inside the store, who offered her hands in a praying motion.
Radcliffe, from Wyndham Street, Porth, denied murder. At a previous hearing, she pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Rees by reason of diminished responsibility, which the Crown accepted.
She also admitted the attempted murders of Mr Price, Ms Saurin and Ms Way.
At the time of the incident, Radcliffe was suffering from schizophrenia and continues to receive treatment at Rampton high security hospital in Nottinghamshire.
The court heard Radcliffe had been suffering from mental illness for over a decade and could have been schizophrenic since 2016.
She had only been released from a three-month stay at a Royal Glamorgan Hospital psychiatric unit in February this year.
Prior to the incident she had not been taking her prescribed medication because she did not like the side-effects, despite her medical notes saying she should not be given that type.
Jonathan Rees QC, defending, said: "Zara Radcliffe feels real horror, shame and great distress at the fact she caused so much pain and suffering on May 5.
"She is terribly remorseful for the suffering that she has caused to those persons she came across that day and she has tried to show that remorse, not just through words but through her actions.
"She co-operated at the scene, in interview and pleaded guilty to these offences."
Mrs Justice Jefford imposed indefinite hospital orders under Sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act.
"Both you and your parents attempted to address your deteriorating mental condition over a long period," she said.
"You had sought help on May 5. On that day you were suffering from severe psychotic illness and hearing voices telling you they were going to cut your throat and you had to kill or be killed.
"Your mental illness significantly impacted your ability to form a rational judgment thereby leading you to kill and attempt to kill.
"It is highly unlikely you would have committed these offences if you had not been suffering from a severe mental illness.
"Having now received treatment and being in a more mentally stable condition you experience and have expressed genuine remorse for the actions you took that day.
"Tragic those actions were, treatment and not punishment is in my judgment the appropriate course."
The judge added: "I am satisfied because of the serious nature of your offending and your history of mental illness and the risk that you commit further offences it is necessary to protect the public.
"I am satisfied that the conditions under Section 41 will provide greater protection to the public than if you were released under licence.
"These restrictions have the effect that you cannot be discharged until a mental health tribunal is satisfied that you do not pose an unacceptable risk to the public, and only with the consent of the Secretary of State.
"If you were released there would be conditions that you would under the care of the mental health team and liable to recall swiftly."
In a victim impact statement, Mr Rees' family described him as "calm, generous, and humble."His son-in-law, Patrick Davidson Houston, said: "We are very proud of the actions he took on the day but not surprised."Eunice has lost her lifelong companion, her carer, and her home. This is all she ever knew and this has been taken."