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| Killing 'could have been avoided' | |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The killing of a man by a paranoid schizophrenic with a history of violence could have been avoided with better health care, a report has said. | |
| John Barrett repeatedly stabbed Denis Finnegan, 50, as he cycled in Richmond Park, south-west London, in 2004. | |
| Poor communication and a lack of monitoring contributed to his escape from hospital, according to an independent inquiry for the NHS. | |
| Barrett pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was jailed for life in March 2005. | Barrett pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was jailed for life in March 2005. |
| He had absconded from Springfield Hospital in Tooting, south London, in the night before the killing in September 2004. | |
| Seriously flawed | |
| He had been granted an hour's "ground leave" from the Shaftesbury Clinic, a secure unit, but failed to return. | |
| The decision to give him that freedom by consultant psychiatrist Dr Gill Mezey was described by the inquiry as "seriously flawed". | |
| On leaving the hospital, 43-year-old Barrett bought numerous kitchen knives, took a taxi to Richmond Park and repeatedly stabbed Mr Finnegan. | |
| Barrett said afterwards that he bought the knives because voices in his head were commanding him to kill. | |
| The NHS apologised for the care given to Barrett. The inquiry, commissioned by the South West London Strategic Health Authority, was chaired by mental health solicitor Robert Robinson. |