Tenerife killing: Daughters urge north Wales NHS review

Deyan Deyanov has been diagnosed with acute paranoid schizophrenia

The family of a woman decapitated in a Tenerife supermarket by a mentally ill man have called on health authorities in north Wales to carry out a review.

Deyan Deyanov who killed Jennifer Mills-Westley, from Norwich, in May 2011 was detained at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan in summer 2010.

Her daughters said Deyanov had been failed and lessons must be learned.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said it had helped police but had no contact with him since October 2010.

The killer was reported to have been visiting relatives when he was detained for his own safety at Glan Clwyd Hospital's Ablett Unit in summer 2010.

He faces 15 to 20 years in a psychiatric unit after being convicted by a jury in court in Santa Cruz on Friday.

The trial heard how Ms Mills-Westley, a grandmother of five who had retired to the island, was repeatedly stabbed and then beheaded at a Chinese supermarket near the beach in the resort of Los Cristianos in May 2011.

The Bulgarian, who was homeless, has been diagnosed with acute paranoid schizophrenia and, when arrested, admitted he had used crack cocaine and LSD.

On the morning of the murder, Deyanov had walked into another shop and asked for a knife "this big" because he was going to kill someone.

'Catalogue of failings'

He was well known to police on the island and had been arrested at least four times since January 2011 for violent offences.

A warrant for his arrest had been issued just three days before the killing but officers were unable to locate him.

He had previously been sectioned in the summer of 2010 under the Mental Health Act in Glan Clwyd Hospital in Denbighshire and again at Tenerife's La Candelaria hospital, before being bailed in early February 2011.

Jennifer Mills-Westley had retired to the island of Tenerife

After the verdict, his victim's daughters Sarah and Sam Mills-Westley made a joint statement calling for an investigation into Deyanov's care.

"It is clear to us that there has been a catalogue of failings; unfortunately it is now left to us to piece these together as we still have so many unanswered questions," it said.

"We would like to make a plea that the care of people like Deyan Valentinov Deyanov is taken more seriously. He is a young man who has clearly been failed by a number of authorities, in the UK, Spain and most likely others."

In response Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said in a statement: "The health board can confirm that it provided assistance to North Wales Police in relation to a person detained at Glan Clwyd Hospital for his own safety in the summer of 2010.

"The health board has had no further contact with this client since October 2010."