Family's 'nightmare' as killer granted leave

The family of a dog walker killed by a psychiatric patient have said his death was "just the beginning of their nightmare" after learning his attacker has now been allowed out on visits.

Retired butcher Lewis Stone was on holiday in Borth, Ceredigion, when he was repeatedly stabbed by David Fleet in 2019.

Fleet, who was 21 at the time, had been released from a secure psychiatric unit 10 days before the incident after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said its thoughts were with the Stone family and decisions to approve leave were only made "after a thorough risk assessment and with strict safeguards in place".

Mr Stone's family said they still had questions about the psychiatric care Fleet received before the attack.

Vicki Lindsay, Mr Stone's stepdaughter, called for the NHS to publish internal reports so the family could understand why decisions were made and ensure lessons are learned.

Mr Stone, from Staffordshire, left the holiday home where he had been staying with his wife, Elizabeth, to walk his dog, Jock, at about 09:20 on 28 February 2018.

Some 20 minutes later, on the bank of the River Leri, he came across Fleet, who stabbed him several times.

Mr Stone died three months later.

Fleet pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility and was detained indefinitely at a secure psychiatric unit.

On Thursday, Mr Stone's family was told he would be allowed overnight leave.

During the sentencing, Swansea Crown Court heard Fleet experienced voices in his head saying they were going to kill him and take over his brain if he did not attack someone.

Fleet had been detained under the Mental Health Act in October 2018 but was sent home 10 days before the incident, despite his mother raising concerns about his release.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Ms Lindsay said she initially thought the attack and the three months that followed was "the worst period of our lives".

"Little did I know however that that was just the beginning of our nightmare. As victims, we have been treated disgracefully," she said.

"We still do not know why the killer was released 10 days before he attacked Lewis, who made that decision and why, and who is going to be held accountable for it.

"We have been kept completely in the dark and treated like dirt on the bottom of the NHS's shoes.

"But as if all that were not bad enough, only six years on, we now get to live knowing that the killer is now allowed out at night-time and will surely be released permanently soon.

"What kind of a country is this that we live in where victims of killings are treated like this?"

Ms Lindsay said she was not shocked at Fleet's overnight release, as "it's been kicks in the teeth throughout".

"Whoever makes these decisions doesn't consider my family at all."

Sharon Daniel, Hywel Dda University Health Board's director of nursing, quality and patient experience, said the health board would not be making reports public.

In a statement to Sky News, shared with PA, she said: "The Duty of Candour for patients came into force in Wales in April 2023. At the time of this incident and concern, we fulfilled our duties to be open."

Asked if the health board would make an apology to both Mr Stone and David Fleet's families, she said: "In the event of serious incidents, we have robust processes in place for reviewing internally, identifying any issues, and where appropriate preparing an improvement plan to prevent such an occurrence in the future.

"We regret such incidents and always seek to learn from them."

The decision to release people on indefinite detention is made by the MoJ.

The MoJ said: "We understand this decision will be difficult for the Stone family, and our thoughts are with them.

"Any decision to approve access to the community is only made after a thorough risk assessment and with strict safeguards in place."

The call for Fleet's health reports to be released comes after NHS England reversed its decision not to publish a full report into the care received by Nottingham triple killer Valdo Calocane, who also suffered from schizophrenia.

Radd Seiger, the Stone family's adviser said it was "outrageous" the family found out Fleet was being given overnight leave on the same day they went public with their request for his health reports.

He described the report as the "most basic of human rights for victims of mental health related homicide".

"Actions have consequences," he added.

He said the health board needed to be transparent about why the killing happened.

He described the case as a "disaster from start to finish" for the family, saying Fleet "clearly and plainly did not receive adequate treatment as an inpatient".

"There must have been serious errors of clinical judgment and a failure to do a risk assessment adequately or at all and manage that risk," he said.