Exmouth killer's victim fought for her life, jury told

Exeter Crown Court reporter Edward Davenport writes for this title.

A grandmother who was stabbed to death in a country park tried to fend off her attacker, a jury has been told.

Lorna England had wounds to her hands from where she tried to grab a knife from mental patient Cameron Davies, who was a complete stranger to her.

He stabbed her to death in Ludwell Valley Park, Exeter, three hours after telling medical staff at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital that he would kill unless he was admitted as a patient.

The mental health team tried to warn the police about his threats but used the 101 non-emergency number instead of 999 and their call went unanswered for two hours before it was cut off.

Davis had been taken to accident and emergency after calling police early on the morning of February 18 last year to tell them he was about to set light to the Rohaven Guest House in Exmouth where he was living.

He told paramedics and the mental health team who assessed him at hospital that he would kill someone if he was not detained. The team concluded that he did not pose an immediate threat but a psychiatrist advised that the police should be alerted through the 101

Davis killed 74-year-old Mrs England as she returned home from a shopping trip to buy flour at about 3.50 pm, when CCTV showed him following her into a wooded area of the park.

Home Office consultant pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery told Exeter Crown Court that Mrs England, who was 5’7’’ tall and weighed less than 12 stone, had died as a result of a 12 centimetre deep stab wound to her chest which went through her heart and cut through to her backbone.

There was a lesser injury to her neck and three injuries to her hands which were probably caused by her trying to fend off and grab the knife.

She said: “These were quite typical of what are referred to and defence type injuries which occur when a person faces another individual carrying a blade and may raise their hands to protect themselves or grab out at the blade.”

She said the shallow depth of the injury to Mrs England’s neck suggested she may have tried to grab the blade as it was inflicted.

Davis, aged 31, of Exeter Road, Exmouth, denies murder but the jury have been told he has admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility, a plea which has not been accepted by the prosecution.

Earlier, the jury heard from dog walker Sarah Hurst who witnessed the killing. She said she saw two people apparently 'blocking each other' on the path and thought something was 'not right'.

She said at one point it looked as if the two people 'seemed to be dancing together'.

She said: "I heard some voices. I thought they might be arguing. I could not hear what was said. I heard a woman yell just once and hit the ground immediately. The man just walked towards me, not running, still on the path. I kept my distance from him.

"I said 'what have you done to her?' I was angry that she had been hurt."

She said Davis told her Lorna had suffered 'a fit or something' and to call an ambulance.

She said Davis had taken Lorna's phone and put it in his pocket and she ran towards the stricken pensioner, unaware that she had been fatally stabbed in the chest.

Sarah said:"I saw a nasty wound to her hand, no other injuries at that stage. I tried to find a pulse. I tried to speak to her but got no response. I held and squeezed her hand, and talked to her."

Her 999 call was played to the jury where Sarah told Lorna that she would be okay and that she was not going to leave her side.

Sarah was heard saying:"You are safe. Good girl, just lie there. It's going to be okay, you are doing really well."

Sarah then screamed for help from other members of the public in the park as she told police the suspect had a knife and had Lorna's phone and there had been 'a bit of a tussle'.

Mrs England’s husband David England, who had been married to her for 52 years, told the court that his wife was a 'very fit and outgoing lady' who liked to walk 10,000 steps a day.

She liked to walk in the fresh air and 'always stood up for herself'. That afternoon she went for a walk to buy some flour from a store and was attacked by Davis as she returned to her home near the park.

In evidence on Friday, senior mental health practitioner Robert Howieson said he assessed Davis on the morning of February 18 before discharging him from the RD&E at 12.49 pm.

He said Davis was not suffering from a mental illness that justified his detention but he responded to the decision by saying he planned to harm someone if he was discharged.

Mr Howieson said: “ He did not say who he was going to harm. We were aware he had been making threats against a housing officer but did not name any individuals. He was talking about harming anyone, possibly children.

“He was asked about that and we tried to explore that thought and he said he felt he was 30 per cent unwell. He said he didn’t want to act on his thoughts and had control over them.

“He said he liked some of his thoughts and we had a discussion about what would happen if he acted on his thoughts and we said if he did something it would be because he wanted to and he said he understood that.

“He said that if he did anything, nothing would come from it because the police would never pin anything on him. He said he was worried about his thoughts and losing control of them and wanted to be in hospital.

“He said he wanted to be in hospital to have space for his thoughts and time to get his head together. He denied paranoid thoughts or any loss of control over his thoughts and said he was in complete control of them.”

Mr Howieson said he spoke to consultant psychiatrist Dr Alexander Hartley, who had not seen Davis, and they agreed not to admit him. Dr Hartley did advise using the 101 number to alert police to the threats.

He said: “I called the police to report the remarks he had made and put them on the record. I thought it was important even though they were general threats, I felt they should be on the record. I was put on hold for two hours and then the phone went dead.”