Peterborough man killed father after stabbing him 16 times

Robert Merritt was stabbed 16 times, jurors heard

A man with a schizophrenic illness killed his father after stabbing him 16 times, a jury has found.

Robert Merritt, 60, died at the home he shared with his son Adam Merritt, 33, in Orton Malborne, Peterborough, in June.

Adam Merritt confessed the killing in a 999 call, admitting "he'd lost his temper with his father", the city's crown court heard.

He was not fit to stand trial, but a jury found that he committed the act.

Prosecutor Andrew Jackson told the hearing that Adam Merritt had been diagnosed with a schizophrenic illness in his late teens which "meant he needed some level of care and it was his father Robert who took on that role".

Adam Merritt was deemed not fit to stand trial

Mr Jackson said that at 00:53 BST on 29 June "the defendant made a telephone call to the police" and that jurors would "hear him confess to having killed his father".

The court heard no-one else was present when his father was killed and Mr Jackson said Adam Merritt "voluntarily admitted he'd lost his temper with his father".

Robert Merritt was declared dead at the scene at their home on Lythemere.

Police said officers found a bloodied knife in the kitchen sink and a post-mortem examination concluded Robert Merritt had died from stab wounds.

Mr Jackson said the injuries to his chest, neck and abdomen were the "most significant of all".

The jury heard Adam Merritt had had stopped taking his anti-psychotic medication two weeks earlier, but did take a dose of medicine on the day before the killing.

Det Insp Dale Mepstead, said: "What Merritt did that day was a horrific act of violence, which saw a man who was a father, a grandfather, a friend, and a neighbour tragically lose his life.

"This has been a thorough and extensive investigation under terribly sad circumstances, and my thoughts and sympathies are with the family."

The hearing will continue on Wednesday.

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