A schizophrenic man has been found guilty of murdering his Iraqi refugee neighbour in Bristol shortly after being released from a psychiatric hospital.
Jeffrey Barry was released from a secure psychiatric hospital last July, hours before launching a knife attack on his neighbour Kamil Ahmad.
Barry stabbed the refugee aggressively and cut off his penis.
The Kurdish refugee originally from Iraq had lived for around two years at the shared accommodation, which provides residential care and support.
Bristol Crown Court heard psychiatrists had opposed Barry’s release, but a mental health tribunal ruled that the perpetrator should be discharged of this murder for health reasons.
But after a two-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, a jury concluded he deliberately targeted his neighbour and attacked him intentionally.
On 24 May 2016, Barry had told support workers in the weeks leading up to the incident that he wanted to be “notorious” and harm members of the public, including his victim, the court was told.
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He accused his neighbour many times of being a rapist, a paedophile, and a terrorist.
Barry was known to be drinking heavily, smoking cannabis, and behaving in a sexually inappropriate manner.
He relapsed after he stopped taking the drug clozapine in November 2015, due to it compromising his immune system.
Consultant forensic psychiatrist, Dr Roger Thomas, said the tribunal was unaware of how long Barry had been off clozapine.
In December 2013, Mr Ahmad suffered facial injuries after being allegedly attacked by Barry. No further action was taken.
A Safeguarding Adults Review has been commissioned to examine the circumstances of Mr Ahmad’s death.
Barry was taken to Callington Road Hospital in Bristol before being transferred to the Cygnet Hospital after telling staff his behaviour was due to excessive cannabis and alcohol intake.
His case was reviewed by a mental health tribunal, who released him with medication after he promised not to drink or take drugs.
