Man who killed girlfriend claimed he 'could hear voices'

James Kennedy told a nurse he believed Joanne Gallacher would harm him in his sleep

A man stabbed his girlfriend to death because he believed she was going to harm him, an inquiry has heard.

James Kennedy began sleeping rough after telling a nurse at Hairmyers Hospital in Lanarkshire that he believed he could hear Joanne Gallacher’s thoughts and that she was going to attack him as he slept.

The 37-year-old killed Mrs Gallacher at his home in Biggar hours after she had been Christmas shopping with her mum in December 2018.

A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) is beng held at Hamilton Sheriff Court after Kennedy admitted culpable homicide due to diminished responsibility.

Mental health charge nurse Sarah Paterson told the inquiry Kennedy was a “suicide risk” after deciding to sleep in woods near Mrs Gallacher’s home, but said he had no plans to take his own life.

The inquiry heard notes from a meeting between Kennedy and Mrs Paterson during which he said “voices in his head were telling him to harm himself”.

Staff suspected he could be bi-polar and suffering from drug-induced psychosis.

Kennedy told Mrs Paterson he had not taken any illicit substances but admitted previously taking street Valium.

“James self-referred with paranoid ideas that his friend Joanne was making plans to harm him,” a note from the meeting said.

“James described as being able to hear Joanne’s thoughts and that she planned to harm him when he was asleep.

“He advised he has been sleeping rough in woods in the Greenhills area.

“He reported feeling unsafe saying he is in danger."

'Significant public concern'

The inquiry heard Kennedy spent time as an inpatient at a psychiatric unit at the hospital in August 2018 after he had brandished a knife in a doctor’s surgery.

He had also previously attacked a neighbour’s door with an axe.

Kennedy was released from that stay in hospital a month later.

The inquiry was told he had made previous reference to wanting to kill someone he owed money to and made threats to throw acid over people.

Joanne’s mother Louise, 62, previously told the probe she and her daughter had made plans to go Christmas shopping but the next time she saw her was in a morgue.

Kennedy is being held in the State Hospital at Carstairs.

The inquiry into the killing was ordered last year by the Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC who said the circumstances of the death raised “significant public concern”.

The hearing before Sheriff Michael Higgins continues.