Escaped killer unit set to close

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A mental health unit near Bristol, condemned after an autistic man absconded and raped a 14-year-old girl, looks set to close.

An independent report in 2008 said The Hayes, at Pilning, must change after Darren Harkin, 21, escaped and raped the girl in Chepstow, Monmouthshire.

He had been detained at the unit under the Mental Health Act for over a year after killing his baby stepbrother.

Staff are being consulted on the proposal to close.

'Extremely disappointed'

A spokesman for the National Autistic Society (NAS), which runs the unit, said it was "with much regret" it had taken a preliminary decision to shut down.

"Subject to any other viable option arising from the consultation process, the closure will be finalised over the coming weeks," he said.

There are currently only two patients at the unit which has 32 staff. Up to 24 staff could be made redundant in the closure.

The spokesman said that despite substantial recent investment it had proved impossible to keep the hospital financially viable.

"The NAS is extremely disappointed at this outcome and continues to believe there is a real and pressing need for autism-specific services for those with complex needs," he said.

"We remain committed to meeting these needs across the South West, both by continuing to provide and develop NAS services and by working with other organisations to share autism-specific knowledge and collective expertise."

The 2008 study, led by Dr Ekkehart Staufenberg, called for some high-risk patients to leave the unit and suggested its safety procedures should be changed immediately.

Harkin, who is now in Broadmoor maximum security hospital, was first arrested in 2000 in the Hartcliffe area of Bristol, aged 12, after stabbing his six-month-old stepbrother to death.

He was given a hospital order after pleading guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility at Bristol Crown Court in April 2001.