A mentally ill man, who was accused of harassing supermodel Kate Moss, has been detained indefinitely for stabbing his divorced parents to death after fleeing a psychiatric unit.
William Warrington launched the attacks on his father Clive, 67, and his 73-year-old mother Valerie hours apart at their homes in Gloucestershire on 2 March.
The 42-year-old from Cheltenham denied two counts of murder but admitted to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
He has now been made the subject of a hospital order without limit of time under Sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act.
Warrington killed his parents after believing he had been sent messages from the government, the secret services and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bristol Crown Court heard.
He had been voluntarily detained at the Wotton Lawn mental health unit in Gloucester after being arrested for attacking a housemate.
Unknown to staff, on the evening of 1 March he left the unit and got into a taxi he had booked that morning and went to Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds.
He was reported missing shortly before midnight.
Warrington broke into his mother’s home and attacked her as she slept – gouging her eyes with his fingers, dragging her body outside to the lawn and running her over with her car, before finally cutting her throat.
He then drove to his father’s home where neighbours were woken by shouting and called police.
“They heard Clive Warrington shouting, pleading for help and asking, ‘Why are you doing this?’,” said Anna Vigars KC, prosecuting.
“While they were making the call they heard the other man calling Clive Warrington a ‘c***’ and saying, ‘I am really going to enjoy this’.”
Police arrived at Mr Warrington’s home and found his body covered in blood and his son was arrested a short time later.
Warrington later told police he had killed his parents because he “had a job to do” and had been instructed by “the team”.
A post-mortem examination found Mr Warrington suffered knife wounds to his head, face and eyes and his throat had been cut.
Mrs Warrington also had injuries to her eyes, her head had been punched, kicked or stamped on, her throat had been cut and she had been run over by a car.
Her son told a healthcare worker he had kicked his mother in the head to “make sure she was dead”.
‘Telepathic communication’ with Kate Moss
Warrington, who has a previous conviction for criminal damage, was a heavy cocaine and cannabis user who held long-term grudges against his parents, accusing them of ruining his life, the court heard.
He was arrested in 2018 on suspicion of harassing supermodel Kate Moss after believing she was in telepathic communication with him and later handed a restraining order.
‘Clearly a tragedy’
Ray Tully KC, defending, said psychiatrists agreed Warrington was a paranoid schizophrenic and had been suffering from “persecutory and delusional ideas” and “thought disorder” since 2016.
Mr Tully told the court the psychiatric reports said Warrington posed a “great risk to others” and should continue to be treated at Broadmoor.
“It is clearly a tragedy for all concerned that there had been a brutal and grotesque killing of both of his parents.”
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Mrs Warrington feared for family’s safety
In her sentencing remarks, the judge Mrs Justice Eady said that after Warrington was detained at Wotton Lawn, his family raised concerns about him – sending 11 emails to the hospital.
“These included a message sent by your mother on 1 March, in which she stated, ‘I am afraid for the safety of myself, my other children and any others he comes into contact with’.
“I have not heard from those with responsibility for you at Wotton Lawn, and can make no findings as to the adequacy of the arrangements there.
“What is clear, however, is that the events that unfolded on March 1 and 2 raise very serious questions for those involved, particularly given the concerns that had been communicated by your family.”
Trust responsible for mental health unit investigating
The Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, which is responsible for the Wotton Lawn unit, has said it is carrying out an investigation into the events surrounding the deaths of Mr and Mrs Warrington.
A spokeswoman said: “The outcome will be shared with NHS England and the Care Quality Commission who will further scrutinise this as per national requirements.”
