Jason Kakaire: SANE calls for independent inquiry
The family of a mentally ill man who went on a three-day rampage stabbing people at random in North London have said they had warned local officials that he posed a risk to the public.
Jason Kakaire, 30, had been treated by doctors for mental ill health for nine years when he carried out five knife attacks in Edmonton, North London.
Marjorie Wallace, Chief Executive of SANE, on the Jason Kakaire trial:
“The story behind these shocking headlines is of a severely ill mental patient who was failed by those responsible for his care.
“Jason Kakaire, who has suffered psychosis since his teens, was placed alone in a flat on the seventh floor of a tower block, and initially visited once a month by a care team. When his mother told his team that he was experiencing suicidal feelings, the decision was made to seal the windows, but not to readmit him to hospital or sheltered accommodation.
“He was expected to attend a day centre to collect prescriptions for his medication. But according to his family most of the time he was too afraid to leave the building and would spend his days in bed or watching television.
“SANE has been working with the Kakaire family who, like many other families of seriously disturbed patients, received little or no support, either before or after the tragic – and we believe preventable – events.
“We ask how could such a very ill young man have been expected to live alone and with inadequate care and supervision in the community, despite the warning signs that he had increasing paranoid feelings and delusions?
“Such failures in our care system lead to far too many lives being destroyed or damaged, as were those of Jason Kakaire’s victims. They also make it harder for people with mental illness, the vast majority of whom are never violent, who experience further stigma.
“We believe there should be an independent inquiry into the care and treatment Jason Kakaire received from Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust.”
