An Angus man who strangled a prostitute has been detained without limit after he pulled a knife on his psychiatrist during a consultation.
Joseph Harrison had been freed early from his culpable homicide sentence despite psychiatrists warning that he posed “a serious risk of harm.”
Harrison then produced a knife during an appointment with a psychiatrist after claiming he heard voices telling him he was being targeted by a death squad.
After hearing about the post-release incident with the knife, Sheriff Fiona Tait made Harrison the subject of a compulsion order. He will be detained at Murray Royal psychiatric hospital in Perth without limit of time.
Harrison – who was jailed for six years for killing prostitute Susan Third – claimed he needed the knife for protection.
Perth Sheriff Court was told that Harrison, 38, was released early from the six year sentence imposed for culpable homicide at the High Court, despite still being considered highly dangerous to the public.
Harrison killed 21-year-old Susan before dumping her body, but the sentence was limited because he was ruled to be suffering from diminished responsibility at the time. He was released after serving four years for the 2005 killing.
Fiscal depute Carol Whyte told Perth Sheriff Court that Harrison had been moved from Carstairs State hospital and into prison before being released in February 2009. His licence period ran out in February last year.
Three months later he was at a meeting with a consultant psychiatrist when he produced a knife with a four inch blade from his pocket and was subsequently arrested.
Ms Whyte said: “He is monitored by protection agency arrangements. He is assessed as being at high risk of causing serious harm.
“On 20 May the doctor saw him for a scheduled consultation. He was sitting opposite the accused and discussing the background circumstances.
“It turned to a recent incident where the accused believed he could hear voices and that a hit squad were looking to kill him. He removed a knife from his inside pocket and showed it to the doctor.
“The doctor instructed him to put it away and he did so. He believed the hit squad were out to get him and needed the knife for protection. He was feeling hopeless about the future and supervised access to his children was causing frustration.
“The doctor was extremely concerned about his irrational behaviour. Police were called and searched the accused and recovered the knife.”
Former farm worker Harrison, c/o Murray Royal Hospital, Perth, admitted having an offensive weapon within the hospital on 20 May last year.
Tragic Susan approached Harrison, from Brechin, Angus, in February 2005 as he sat crying in his car at Aberdeen Harbour.
He later strangled her with the fascia of his car stereo before driving to a field near Catterline, Aberdeenshire, where he sexually assaulted the mum-of-one and dumped her body.
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