MAN WITH PSYCHOTIC EPISODE COMMITS HORRIFIC DOUBLE STABBING IN GARSTON
A 21-year-old man from Allerton, Christian Lacey, faced grave charges following a violent incident resulting in the death of his mother and an attack on another woman.Lacey was accused of murdering Liz Lacey, who was 63, at her residence on Hardy Street, Garston, on April 26 in the evening.
The court heard evidence that he stabbed her multiple times, causing her death from numerous stab wounds.
On the same day, he also attempted to murder Edwina Holden, aged 54, in the vicinity of Vesta Road at around 6 pm, when she was also assaulted with a stabbing.
It is reported that Lacey was experiencing a psychotic episode during the incident and was subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act.
While he acknowledged responsibility for his mother’s death, he pleaded not guilty to murder but accepted manslaughter.
He appeared remotely from Ashworth Hospital in Maghull and remains in custody.
His sentencing was delayed until January 28 to permit further psychiatric evaluation, which revealed he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the crimes.
Prosecutors informed the court that two psychiatrists observed a significant period of florid psychosis lasting approximately six weeks before the offenses, which greatly compromised his self-control.
The judge noted that mental illness evidence might influence the murder conviction’s outcome, and legal proceedings continue to decide on an appropriate sentence, likely under a mental health order.
