Mental health: Mum wants apology for killer son and victim

When Sharon Lees' lad David near a psychiatric unit, she said she warned unit helium was excessively unwell to travel home.

Ten days later, helium stabbed a antheral to decease who was retired walking his canine due to the fact that of "the voices successful his head".

Sharon is demanding a nationalist apology from Hywel Dda wellness committee for some her lad and the household of the antheral helium killed, Lewis Stone, saying it "could [and] should person been prevented".

Hywel Dda said confidential accusation prevented it publishing its report.

Sharon raised her lad David Fleet successful the seaside municipality of Borth, Ceredigion.

"David loved being connected the beach," she said.

"Growing up successful Borth was truly bully for him. He was precise quiet, would easy get mislaid successful the crowd."

Growing up, "tiny small obsessions" made her fishy helium was autistic.

He was diagnosed astatine 15, but arsenic helium turned 17, different things began to interest Sharon.

"He seemed to deliberation that we'd enactment thing connected his caput to erase his memory. It was similar helium was seeing things that weren't there," said Sharon.

He started smoking cannabis to "sort of negociate those symptoms" and Sharon said helium struggled to sleep.

One time she walked into his chamber to find "quite a batch of humor everywhere... he'd severely self-harmed".

She rushed her lad to A&E and helium was treated with anti-psychotic medication.

When helium was good enough, helium moved distant from location to implicit a assemblage course, but helium aboriginal relapsed and had to instrumentality home.

"It was wide that helium was successful psychosis. He started asking bizarre questions astir idiosyncratic watching us," said Sharon.

Fleet besides began taking knives to furniture with him and trying to airy tiny fires successful his bedroom.

"Eventually helium said to maine that helium thought helium mightiness person to termination idiosyncratic due to the fact that 'people are watching us, determination was hidden cameras everyplace and obscurity is safe' - that was erstwhile I said helium had to travel with maine to hospital," said Sharon.

"We had to prise the weapon disconnected him to get him into the car and get him into hospital."

In October 2018, Fleet was detained nether the Mental Health Act, but erstwhile helium was allowed location for visits, Sharon said she warned infirmary unit helium was inactive buying cannabis and looking for knives.

After 4 months arsenic an in-patient, unit decided helium should beryllium treated astatine home.

"I conscionable cried due to the fact that I conscionable don't cognize however I'm going to cope... he's implicit 6ft tall, I can't halt him from going out," said Sharon.

Early connected 28 February 2019, 10 days aft being sent home, Fleet near the location with a knife.

"I'm trying to telephone him, trying to connection him... I looked retired of the backmost model and I could spot the aerial ambulance. I conscionable retrieve having this truly sinking feeling. Like I knew," she said.

Fleet had ne'er met his unfortunate earlier that day.

Mr Stone, from Staffordshire, was walking his canine Jock on the slope of the River Leri portion visiting his adjacent vacation location which helium and his woman had plans to discontinue to.

Fleet aboriginal told psychiatrists if helium had not stabbed Mr Stone, the voices successful his caput "were going to termination him".

Family of Mr Stone - who died successful infirmary 3 months aft the onslaught - said their lives changed successful the "most horrific, heart-breaking" way.

They said the "old-fashioned gentleman", who was "adored" by his wife, children and grandchildren, would person been "defenceless".

BBC Wales Investigates has seen a transcript of an interior wellness committee study into David's attraction anterior to the attack.

It reveals that 3 weeks earlier the stabbing, a doc had warned helium was not acceptable to permission infirmary due to the fact that of his "worsening intelligence state" and the risks helium posed with knives.

Just days later, helium was sent location without anyone updating his hazard appraisal and unit were meant to interaction him the time earlier the attack, but did not due to the fact that of their workload.

He besides did not person a dose of his anti-psychotic medication.

Mr Stone's household said determination was "no excuse oregon forgiveness" for David and "nothing could beryllium said oregon done to assistance them recognize oregon determination connected from what's happened".

They agreed determination were "huge failings successful the intelligence wellness sector" to person "such a monster released and walking the streets, capable to origin specified harm" and privation David Fleet to stay locked up.

Studies by the University of Manchester suggest betwixt 2010 and 2020 determination were 5,876 homicide offenders successful the UK, of which 610 (11%) were nether the attraction of intelligence wellness services.

Researchers said cause and intoxicant misuse were known to elevate risk.

The Welsh authorities has the powerfulness to committee autarkic intelligence wellness homicide reviews and stock lessons arsenic wide arsenic possible, but BBC Wales Investigates has discovered that since 2016, it has stopped asking for them.

This mean lessons from this and 3 different killings involving mentally sick radical successful Wales successful that clip person not been shared.

Lord Alex Carlile, a erstwhile MP and a barrister with decades of acquisition successful homicide cases is captious of the "failure" to stock accusation successful David's case.

"It is perfectly dreadful. It is indispensable that successful cases wherever determination is simply a large safeguarding issue, accusation should beryllium shared by each the applicable nationalist and backstage assemblage organisations," helium said.

He besides said, the Welsh authorities should person commissioned autarkic reviews into different intelligence wellness homicides successful this time, calling it a "seven-year scandal".

The Welsh government's determination means that, 4 years connected from the killing, Mr Stone's household person not been capable to spot accusation astir the missed opportunities to show Fleet.

Hywel Dda wellness committee said it shared its interior study into Fleet's attraction with immoderate of its ain unit and the Welsh authorities but could not people it due to the fact that it contained confidential aesculapian information.

In a backstage letter, Sharon was told it had subsequently made changes to its services, but she believes that, had details and lessons been shared with different wellness boards, it could perchance person prevented different killings.

The Welsh authorities said it was "satisfied" it had not needed to committee autarkic intelligence wellness homicide reviews since 2016 due to the fact that wellness boards had been "thorough" erstwhile investigating their ain cases.

However, it did admit the wider reappraisal strategy needed to alteration to guarantee amended "communication and coordination" truthful it was introducing the Single Unified Safeguarding Review.

A spokesperson added: "This caller attack eliminates the request for families to instrumentality portion successful multiple, often onerous and traumatising, reviews and volition much rapidly place learning, physique a greater knowing of what happened during an incidental and why, and supply a wide enactment program to amended services."

Sharon believes her lad was fto down by intelligence wellness services, leaving 2 families "devastated" arsenic a result.

"The feelings of guilt and remorse that David is feeling are incomprehensible," she added.

She present wants the wellness committee to accidental atrocious to her lad and Mr Stone's family.

"It's truly important for conscionable not lone us, but for Mr Stone's household to person a nationalist apology due to the fact that of his unwellness and the deficiency of attraction that helium received... it lone feels justified that helium besides receives an apology due to the fact that the wellness committee failed him, which past successful crook failed his victim's family."