Knifeman released to murder pregnant waitress after telling police three times he was going to kill

By Chris Brooke
Last updated at 2:08 AM on 11th May 2010

A pregnant woman was killed by a psychiatric patient who had been released three times because doctors thought he was 'exaggerating' his symptoms, a court heard yesterday.

Alan McMullan, 54, stabbed 21-year-old Claire Wilson to death as she walked to work on a Sunday afternoon.

She screamed and collapsed as her attacker casually strolled away, a jury heard.

A year earlier the killer had on three occasions handed himself into police while armed with a knife and claimed a voice in his head was telling him to kill someone.

Each time he was admitted to hospital and released after treatment. On the final occasion doctors decided he was 'exaggerating his symptoms to gain admission to hospital', Hull Crown Court was told.

After carrying out the killing, McMullan told police he was angry he had not been given 'appropriate treatment' by the authorities, the court heard.

McMullan, of Grimsby, denies murdering Miss Wilson, who was six months pregnant, on June 7 last year.

The jury was told there was no dispute that he killed the woman, but the issue was whether he was suffering from diminished responsibility due to his mental state at the time.

Lynn Tayton, QC, prosecuting, said: 'This defendant, for no discernible reason, came up behind Claire Wilson in the street and stabbed her to death.'

She told the jury the prosecution did not accept that his state of mind undermined his guilt.

The court heard Miss Wilson was living with her boyfriend, Adam Kennard, in Grimsby.

She worked as a waitress at Pizza Hut and was reluctant to work on the day she was murdered because she was very tired.

But Mr Kennard persuaded her to go and at 3.35pm she set off on the short walk through the town centre to start her shift.

Jean Page, who was in a car waiting at traffic lights with her son and grandchildren, saw McMullan approaching the young woman.

In a statement she said: 'He was about three metres away when I thought, "Oh my God!

'He is going to snatch, her bag". He seemed suspicious, so I watched him.'

Mrs Page described how she saw the man, who 'had no expression on his face', stab her. 'I recall a lot of blood,' she said.

She added: 'I felt so helpless. I could not do anything to help. I saw the knife go all the way into her. It was in between her shoulder-blades.'

Her son Steven stopped the car and began following McMullan. He shouted 'what have you done?', and the suspect turned round to look at him before continuing walking.

Miss Tayton said Mr Page went into a pub, told the barmaid to call for an ambulance and asked another drinker to accompany him in following the attacker.

McMullan was walking towards a police station and Mr Page alerted officers in a van to what had happened and the suspect was arrested. McMullan told police: 'I've got voices in my head telling me to do it. I have left the knife stuck in her.'

The jury were told how McMullan had gone to police on June 2, 2008.

He was carrying a knife, complained of feeling unwell and mentioned the possibility of killing somebody.

He was admitted under the Mental Health Act and seen by a consultant psychiatrist.

McMullan was discharged from Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby after 14 days, told to stop drinking, continue with his medication and attend an outpatient appointment.

On June 19 the same thing happened again. This time he was admitted for 21 days and released with medication.

The third time he was admitted to the psychiatric unit was July 21 and this time doctors decided he was exaggerating.

The trial continues.

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1276389/Knifeman-went-police-times-saying-going-kill--released-murder-waitress-random-attack.html