A mentally ill North East man “plunged” a kitchen knife into his brother-in-law’s chest as he lay on a sofa.
Michael Flanagan stabbed the man in his chest as he relaxed in his living room before trying to attack him further. The attack left the victim with injuries including a collapsed lung and he was rushed to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) for treatment.
Flanagan, who has a history of committing violent offences, was later admitted to Roseberry Park, a mental health hospital in Teesside. On Wednesday, the 44-year-old appeared at Durham Crown Court via link from the hospital to be sentenced for unlawful wounding. He had pleaded guilty to the offence.
The court heard that Flanagan would regularly visit his brother-in-law and sister at their home without giving notice. On December 18, 2021, he turned up at their house as his sister was upstairs and his brother-in-law was lying on the sofa in the living room.
Samuel Ponniah, prosecuting, said: “It was 8.55pm and the defendant asked him what he was up to. He then went into the kitchen and could be heard opening a cupboard.
“The defendant returned and stood over [the victim] and plunged a knife in to his chest. [The victim] jumped up and the defendant followed him around the room with the knife in his hand…the defendant continued to try and attack him.”
The man pleaded with Flanagan to stop the attack, but he went for him again and caught him on the arm with the knife, causing another injury. Eventually, the man managed to escape and Flanagan fled when his sister came downstairs.
The victim was taken to the RVI and was lucky to have escaped with “relatively minor” injuries. Mr Ponniah said he sustained a chest wound and a collapsed lung.
Flanagan was arrested and was later admitted to Roseberry Park Hospital, where he remains. Mr Ponniah added that there was a delay in the case coming to court due to concerns around Flanagan’s “psychiatric presentation”.
The court was told Flanagan had eight previous convictions for 15 offences, including battery in 2014. In 2011, he was also convicted of two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The court heard that doctors recommend Flanagan receives ongoing inpatient treatment and poses a “serious risk of harm to the public”. Sarah Lish, defending said she had no objections to the court passing sentence and that Roseberry Park have a bed available for him for as long as required.
Judge Jo Kidd said Flanagan has shown a “pattern of violent offending against intimate members of family over a protracted period of time”. She added that Flanagan had also misused drugs and alcohol.
Judge Kidd sentenced Flanagan to a section 37 hospital order under the Mental Health Act. A section 41 restriction was also imposed, protecting the public.
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View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/mentally-ill-north-east-man-30939063
