Can Arslan claims voices told him to kill Matthew Boorman

A man who stabbed his neighbour to death claimed the voice of his childhood teddy bear told him to kill, a court has heard.

Can Arslan attacked Matthew Boorman, 43, outside of his home in Walton Cardiff, Gloucestershire, in October.

Expert forensic psychologist Dr John Sandford told Bristol Crown Court he was "sceptical" of Mr Arslan's claims of hearing voices and memory loss.

Mr Arslan, 52, denies murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

He stabbed father-of-three Mr Boorman 27 times and then forced his way into the home of another neighbour, Peter Marsden, who survived despite being stabbed eight times.

Matthew Boorman was attacked on his front lawn when he arrived home from work on 5 October

Mr Arslan has previously admitted the attempted murder of Mr Marsden as well as causing grievous bodily harm to Sarah Boorman.

He slashed Mrs Boorman's leg when she tried to pull Mr Arslan away from her husband.

The defendant also admits one count of affray.

The court heard he had subjected neighbours to years of verbal abuse and threats and was on the point of being evicted when he launched his lethal attack.

Dr Sandford told jurors he did not consider Mr Arslan to be mentally ill and said he did not need to be in hospital.

Instead he found Mr Arslan had a personality disorder.

A psychologist told the court there was nothing to suggest Mr Arslan was "mentally ill"

The first mention of "voices" in Mr Arslan's medical records came at 19:33 BST on the night of the killing, when he told police "the voice said to me to 'kill him'".

In later references to the voice, he said it had belonged to his childhood teddy bear.

"With forensic psychology you have to have a degree of scepticism," Dr Sandford told the court.

"When you get a voice on its own you are always very sceptical, but when you get a voice on its own after a serious offence you are even more sceptical," he added.

Mr Arslan and Matthew Boorman were neighbours in Snowdonia Road, Walton Cardiff, near Tewkesbury

Dr Sandford said Mr Arslan had a "grandiose" and narcissistic view of himself and that during assessments he had claimed not to remember the attack.

Dr Sandford said he disbelieved Mr Arslan had no memory of the event and said amnesia was typically caused by a powerful blow to the head or following heavy intoxication.

Mr Arslan's legal team argue that personality disorder is "an abnormality of mental function" and was a defence to murder.