Man given hospital order over Colchester triple killing

Jason and Danny Gibson and Richard Booth all died of stab wounds

A man who admitted killing three people has been handed a life sentence and detained under the Mental Health Act.

Tom Saunders stabbed Danny Gibson, 35, his brother Jason Gibson, 31, and Richard Booth, 35, in Colchester, Essex, on 5 October, 2019.

Saunders, who had paranoid schizophrenia, pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter by diminished responsibility at Ipswich Crown Court.

The 35-year-old had denied charges of murder.

Saunders was sentenced to a discretionary life term, carrying a minimum of 18 years and eight months in prison.

He was placed under a restriction order and will be moved to a hospital within 28 days.

During a three-day sentencing hearing, Saunders also admitted a charge of having an offensive weapon in a public place.

Brothers Danny and Jason Gibson were found in a house in Wellesley Road, while Richard Booth was found in a vehicle nearby

The brothers were likely killed after letting Saunders into their flat in Wellesley Road in the Essex town, the court heard.

Mr Booth, a friend of the family, had been stabbed at least 21 times, with the attack picked up on a recording from his own dashcam.

Saunders had been refusing help and medication for his illness in the period leading up to the killings, prosecutor Karim Khalil QC said.

He believed the brothers would "team up" against him and he also began to view Mr Booth as an adversary, the court heard.

He then produced two "large" knives at a family gathering in the hours before the killings, before making his way to the scene.

The prosecution said Saunders returned home later in the evening covered in blood claiming he "made sure [he] finished them off," prompting his family to call the police.

Mr Khalil described the killings as "calculated and devastating".