Killer's mental health should have been 'flagged'

Paul Wells was killed by his neighbour in Highbridge, Somerset, in 2020

The inquest into the death of a man stabbed to death by his neighbour has heard the killer's mental health issues should have been flagged more prominently on his police record.

Richard Matthews stabbed Paul Wells to death on 25 June 2020, and is serving an indefinite hospital order.

Matthews had severe mental health problems and wrongly believed his neighbour was a child sex offender.

The inquest heard police had recorded a catalogue of incidents regarding Richard Matthews dating back eigeht years before he killed Mr Wells.

The jury heard Matthews put up posters outside his house and sent tweets making allegations against Mr Wells, as well as phoning police to complain falsely Mr Wells had sexually abused him.

The inquest heard evidence from Insp Jon Owen of Avon and Somerset Police.

It was told information about Matthews was recorded on the police system, but would not have been immediately flagged to officers attending the scene.

Counsel to the inquest, Emma Zeb KC asked Insp Owen if the records of Matthews' allegations against his neighbour meant it would have been "reasonable to put a marker...to say there are issues between the two neighbours"?

Insp Owen said: "I don't know if it would be a marker, but something."

He added: "The advantage is that it would be on the front page of the police record system."

Mental health support

He also told the inquest, as the force's mental health co-ordinator, he had put training in place for officers, as well as systems for officers to seek advice on dealing with mental health issues.

Ms Zeb put to him the inquest had heard "little evidence about the potential use [by police] of mental health services" on the day of the killing and asked what that revealed.

Insp Owen replied that information about the help available to officers "had not penetrated as far as I had wanted it to".

He later added the force's approach to mental health had changed substantially in subsequent years.

The inquest heard on at least two occasions in 2020, NHS mental health services told police officers Matthews did not meet the threshold for mental health support.

Matthews was eventually identified as having delusions, hallucinations and possible emerging paranoid schizophrenia the day after he had killed Mr Wells, and was detained under the mental health act.

The inquest also heard on the day of the killing, Matthews' mother warned police her son had a knife and might use it.

But Insp Owen says police had no powers to remove a knife just because it "might pose a risk" as Matthews had made no direct threats to his neighbour, or anyone else.

Insp Owen also said there was no evidence a knife removed from the house and put in the back garden was the same knife used in the killing.

The inquest continues.