Argoed hostel killer 'seemed pretty well', inquest hears

Cerys Yemm and Matthew Williams met about two weeks before the attack

A prison leaver who killed a woman in a Caerphilly county hostel showed no signs of schizophrenia the week before the attack, an inquest has heard.

Matthew Williams was found attacking Cerys Yemm, 22, at the Sirhowy Arms Hotel in Argoed, on 6 November 2014.

Williams, 34, was Tasered by police and later died.

His GP, Dr Nishebita Das said he was "smart and seemed pretty well" when she saw him on 29 October 2014.

An inquest into both deaths is being held at Gwent Coroner's Court in Newport.

It previously heard the pair had met two weeks before the killing, on a night out in Blackwood.

The owner of the hostel, Mandy Miles described the scene in Williams' room as being "like a horror film" with "blood everywhere".

On Monday, the inquest heard Williams had gone to Dr Das' surgery in Bargoed about five days after he had been released from prison to ask for a sick note to claim unemployment benefits.

Dr Das said she had previously seen Williams several times with mental health issues, and described him as a "disturbed person".

She asked to see Williams before issuing a sick note and a letter sent from the prison indicated he was "quite well" and was not receiving medication, and that no referral had been made to the community psychiatric health team.

Dr Das said they discussed his mental health and he told her he was "feeling well and keeping stable".

He said he would be seeing a psychiatric specialist the following week and she said she believed him.

When questioned by Williams' family lawyer, Dr Das said she did not believe she had mistakenly seen someone else during the consultation.

Dr Shuja Reagu, a consultant forensic psychiatrist who saw Williams at Parc prison from February 2014 until a month before his release, said they agreed he was to be released without medication.

Dr Reagu told the inquest: "I was clear it was not schizophrenia and that his past presentations with psychotic symptoms were most likely drug induced psychotic symptoms or drug intoxicated psychotic symptoms."

He said if he used the illegal drugs again, he was likely to get the symptoms again.

The inquest continues.