Mental illness patient acquitted of nurse murder
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Emily Pritchard, saved by victim Bob Fenwick A New South Wales hospital patient who killed a nurse has been found not guilty on the grounds of his mental illness.
Matthew Peter Loughrey was acquitted of attempting to murder nurse Emily Pritchard, 20, and for the murder of veteran nurse Bob Fenwick, 62.
The nurses worked at the Bloomfield Hospital in Orange, where Loughrey, 33, was a voluntary patient when the incident occurred in early January.
In the judgment, handed down in Sydney's Supreme Court on November 29, Justice Elizabeth Fullerton found Loughrey not guilty on the basis that he had a disease of the mind.
During the trial, the court heard that Loughrey, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and Asperger's syndrome, wanted to kill Ms Pritchard and that he believed chiropractors could revive her with their “witch doctor” abilities.
During the incident, Loughrey attacked Ms Pritchard with a knife, stabbing her in the hand when she tried to protect herself.
Mr Fenwick tried to fight Loughrey off with a broom but received stab wounds to the arms, hands, wrist and chest and was treated at a nearby hospital but later died.
In handing down her judgement, Justice Fullerton said Loughrey had a complex condition that included delusional beliefs while his schizophrenia symptoms deteriorated in the days leading up to the attack.
Justice Fullerton said Loughrey’s condition "deprived him of the capacity to see the moral and legal consequences of his actions".
She also praised Mr Fenwick’s heroic actions.
Loughrey will be detained at Long Bay Prison Hospital and will only be released if he is considered not a danger to either the community or himself.
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