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20/02/2009
Supermarket Attacker Detained Indefinitely
A paranoid schizophrenic man has been detained in hospital indefinitely after stabbing a 20-year-old woman during a frenzied knife attack in a Sussex supermarket.
Samuel Reid-Wentworth, 22, attacked Lucy Yates on September 16 last year whilst she was shopping in the Somerfield store in Littlehampton.
The court heard the 22-year-old had harboured fantasies about killing young women and drinking their blood. He had spotted Ms Davies, 20, from a bus and followed her into the shopping centre.
She suffered injuries to her face, chest, back and abdomen, but survived the horrific attack.
Reid-Wentworth then stabbed the young woman 21 times with a pocket knife in what Judge Anthony Scott-Gall described as a "horrific and wholly irrational" attack.
Prosecutor Rob Hall told the court: "The defendant approached her from behind, put his basket down, took out a pocket knife of about nine inches and started stabbing Miss Yates repeatedly."
Shoppers who witnessed the attack heard the 22-year-old, began throwing items at him to try and make him stop. He told them he was a "psycho".
The jury heard he was restrained by three staff members and arrested.
On the way to Worthing police station, Reid-Wentworth said he "did it and loved it" and added that he "should have stabbed her more", Mr Hall said.
Tests showed he had not been taking his anti-psychotic medication, the court heard.
Reid-Wentworth had suffered from mental health problems since early childhood and before attacking Miss Yates had written to a clinical psychologist saying he intended to kill or attack a woman in a supermarket in Bognor using a samurai sword.
A sword was discovered by police, opposite Tesco in the town after Reid-Wentworth was arrested.
Reid-Wentworth, who was hospitalised under the Mental Health Act, had been discharged from a mental health unit six previously.
(JM/BMcC)
Samuel Reid-Wentworth, 22, attacked Lucy Yates on September 16 last year whilst she was shopping in the Somerfield store in Littlehampton.
The court heard the 22-year-old had harboured fantasies about killing young women and drinking their blood. He had spotted Ms Davies, 20, from a bus and followed her into the shopping centre.
She suffered injuries to her face, chest, back and abdomen, but survived the horrific attack.
Reid-Wentworth then stabbed the young woman 21 times with a pocket knife in what Judge Anthony Scott-Gall described as a "horrific and wholly irrational" attack.
Prosecutor Rob Hall told the court: "The defendant approached her from behind, put his basket down, took out a pocket knife of about nine inches and started stabbing Miss Yates repeatedly."
Shoppers who witnessed the attack heard the 22-year-old, began throwing items at him to try and make him stop. He told them he was a "psycho".
The jury heard he was restrained by three staff members and arrested.
On the way to Worthing police station, Reid-Wentworth said he "did it and loved it" and added that he "should have stabbed her more", Mr Hall said.
Tests showed he had not been taking his anti-psychotic medication, the court heard.
Reid-Wentworth had suffered from mental health problems since early childhood and before attacking Miss Yates had written to a clinical psychologist saying he intended to kill or attack a woman in a supermarket in Bognor using a samurai sword.
A sword was discovered by police, opposite Tesco in the town after Reid-Wentworth was arrested.
Reid-Wentworth, who was hospitalised under the Mental Health Act, had been discharged from a mental health unit six previously.
(JM/BMcC)
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