Anne James murder-accused ‘tried to strangle partner'
A man suspected of killing his grandmother was prone to psychotic meltdowns – having previously chased a colleague with a machete and tried to strangle a girlfriend, a murder trial heard.
A medical expert diagnosed 26-year-old Gregory Irvin as having high-functioning autistic syndrome disorder, formerly known as Asperger’s, which can lead to serious – and violent – psychotic meltdowns, he told a jury.
Asked whether he thought Irvin might have had a meltdown before stabbing 74-year-old retired nurse Anne James to death in the kitchen of her Walsall home on February 28, Dr Nuwan Galappathie replied: “I think it could provide an explanation.”
The consultant forensic psychiatrist was giving evidence for the defence on the sixth day of Irvin’s trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
He said Irvin had told him of chasing a work colleague at FedEx with a machete in his car after he had played a practical joke on him, later finding himself at home crying.
Irvin had also become paranoid that a previous girlfriend was being unfaithful to him and had tried to strangle her, only stopping when his mother walked into the room, he said.
Dr Galappathie told the jury: “To me, this suggests escalating risky, dangerous events possibly related to psychotic meltdowns.”
He added that it followed that the stabbing of Mrs James could have been the result of a similar episode.
The court also heard that police found an internet search on Irvin’s computer entitled ‘Old lady killed but killer never found’.
However Irvin claimed the search was made after his grandmother’s death when he was looking for information about it.
The defendant’s medical condition meant he could not cope with stressful events, said Dr Galappathie, who diagnosed Irvin as also suffering from recurrent depressive disorder.
He had started hearing a ‘devilish’ voice, similar to his own, telling him to commit murder or rob a bank, the court heard.
He had claimed one of his grandmother’s cats had hissed at him during a visit to her home in Doveridge Place, Sandwell Street, as if it recognised he had a different ‘aura’, the court heard.
In the days following the fatal attack, the defendant had told the psychiatrist that he had felt like ‘being in a dream or a video game.’
Irwin, of Bilboe Road, Bradley, Bilston, denies murder.
The case continues.
