A 73-year-old man who viciously stabbed a neighbour in a Fife sheltered housing complex has been found not guilty on mental health grounds.
It was not disputed at a trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court that James Craig carried out the life-threatening assault on his neighbour Richard Jones.
He told police afterwards: “I had a knife in his gut. He deserved it.”
However, a special defence was submitted that Craig was not criminally responsible because of his mental health condition at the time and this was accepted by the jury on Thursday.
The horrific incident took place at Burgh House sheltered housing in Leslie on Boxing Day last year.
In the preceding weeks, Craig had become convinced that his neighbour was trying to poison him by piping nerve gas through his air ventilation system.
The victim was stabbed to the groin and the abdomen, the latter wound also damaging the small bowel.
The court heard from Dr Katherine Paramore, consultant psychiatrist with NHS Fife, who said the actions were “clearly driven by psychotic symptoms”.
“He said he could smell a strange fruity smell in his flat,” said the doctor. He also complained about a strange sensation in his lower limbs and was concerned it was being caused by nerve gas.
The Crown and defence submitted a joint minute outlining the facts of the incident. Craig had returned to Burgh House after two days away at Christmas and appeared to be “agitated and in an argumentative mood”.
Craig started to argue with Mr Jones about freemasons and his concerns about his air vent. He left, but returned with the knife and stabbed him twice.
After the attack, Craig told police, “He’s Dick Jones. He was a liar. I had a knife in his gut. He deserved it.”
Sheriff Craig McSherry called for updated reports on Craig, who is currently detained at Stratheden Hospital near Cupar, and imposed an interim compulsion order.
Craig will remain at Stratheden in the meantime and return to court on October 19.