Co-op stabber knew she would kill, inquest hears

Zara Radcliffe, who had schizophrenia, killed 88-year-old John Rees in a violent attack in 2020

A woman who killed an 88-year-old man in a supermarket told police "I knew I would kill someone today", an inquest has heard.

Zara Radcliffe, who has schizophrenia, killed John Rees and injured three others in the attack at a Co-op in Penygraig, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on 5 May 2020.

The inquest into Mr Rees’s death heard a number of concerned phone calls were made by Radcliffe’s father Wayne on the day of the attack.

Mr Radcliffe called the crisis mental health team at about 09:00 asking for a visit, saying he thought his daughter had not been taking her prescribed medication.

Mr Radcliffe also told the crisis team he believed his daughter had been taking recreational drugs again.

He then made two other calls to different departments, with those he spoke to noting he was "very concerned" and he was "adamant he needed to speak to someone urgently".

The inquest previously heard that Radcliffe had been released from the Royal Glamorgan Hospital on 24 February 2020.

She had received in-patient care for about four months and then had just two interactions with community mental health staff in the next 10 weeks.

John Rees was stabbed while his wife Eunice sat in a car outside

Laura Morse, Radcliffe’s care coordinator, told the court she did not speak to Mr Radcliffe directly because she had been told he could be aggressive.

However, she said she took advice on the information and made plans to go to Radcliffe's address as she "felt I needed to see her that day".

The court was told Radcliffe phoned police at 11:50 to report a "domestic incident" and told PC Jack Cotton she had locked herself in the house .

PC Cotton’s statement recalled how "she did not sound as if she was intoxicated or under the influence of drugs" and "was not making any threats".

The court heard that, about two hours later, PC Cotton heard police radio reports of "a female on top of a male assaulting him" and later realised it was Radcliffe.

Radcliffe was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder and taken to Merthyr Tydfil police station.

She had beaten Mr Rees repeatedly with wine bottles and a fire extinguisher and stabbed him and three other shoppers.

Sgt James Pearce, custody officer at the station, said, at some point, Radcliffe remarked: "I knew I was going to kill someone today."

A statement from Dr Gaynor Jones, a consultant psychiatrist who assessed Radcliffe, described her as "clearly psychotic" and someone who was "hearing voices telling her she was going to be harmed".

Dr Jones said Radcliffe had stated she "decided to harm someone so she could be safe and go to prison".

Radcliffe was sent to Rampton high security hospital and, in October 2020, was detained indefinitely under a hospital order.

The inquest continues.