Mental state of knife attacker had caused alarm

The family of a man stabbed by a mental health patient are furious that unwell people are allowed to drift round the community.

The father of shop-owner Robert Norcross, who was badly injured in his back, stomach and hand during a knife attack on three people that left one dead, said the mental healthcare system was pathetic.

Charlie Norcross said: "Some years ago we had hospitals in place to take care of these psychiatric weirdos and the Government in their wisdom have just decided they'd save some money and close them down and let them drift around in society.

"None of us are safe. You could go down the road shopping and anything could happen."

His outburst followed revelations that the West Auckland man being held for the knifings was descending into an episode of schizophrenia and had phoned a mental healthcare worker in the hours preceding the attack.

He was calling to arrange to meet the worker, his Waitemata District Health Board case manager, the next day.

It also emerged that police had been to the man's house early on Sunday after his landlady dialled 111 and said she felt unsafe with him.

Police went to the Massey home at 1.27am, followed later that day by two community mental health nurses.

The nurses, making a special visit, considered the man was becoming mentally unwell, and arranged for him to contact his case manager, which he did.

But before the meeting happened he went on a rampage in Railside Ave, Henderson.

At 12.55pm on Monday, the 34-year-old entered Norcross Fishing World and took a knife from a display cabinet. He stabbed Robert Norcross, seriously injuring him.

Leaving the shop, the man crossed the road and stabbed Kevan Newman, 65. Mr Newman died in an ambulance.

Police shot the attacker three times and he is now in hospital in a critical condition - but despite the bullets, he injured his third victim, parking warden Pes Fa'aui, who needed stitches for a cut hand after tackling the man to the ground.

The man was charged with assault on Tuesday.

His landlady had called police at 1am on Sunday, telling them she felt unsafe and wanted the man removed. She had been told by mental health services to ring police if she felt afraid of him.

But when police arrived - it was a priority two job - she told them she was no longer afraid and did not want him removed.

A police spokeswoman said the officers who attended asked the woman whether the man had hurt her or said anything to her.

She replied that the man was "acting funny". Police spent some time at the house "to gauge her demeanour", then left. They did not contact mental health services.

Health board chief executive Dwayne Crombie spoke publicly about the case yesterday, "because of the public interest", but withheld many clinical details.

The man was a voluntary, community patient who had been in regular contact with Waitemata's mental health services for nearly 13 years.

The most significant concern was his "ability to care for himself" - which another mental health source said would refer to eating or hygiene and not the taking of medication.

"... this incident appears to be a bizarre and unexpected occurrence, totally out of this person's character," Dr Crombie said.

Voluntary community patients were generally visited monthly by nurses and the patients were also in contact with other staff. But Sunday's visit to this man was not a regular visit.

Dr Crombie withheld the reason for it. When asked if the landlady had phoned, he said, "I can't tell you".

The two nurses who attended "felt he needed follow-up by a case manager", Dr Crombie told the Herald. On National Radio, he said they "felt he was becoming unwell".

He would not say whether the nurses should have taken some action other than arranging for the man to contact his case manager.

"At this stage I'm happy that we assessed him and appear to have carried out a detailed process."

An internal inquiry would start today and its key findings would be made public.

National Party health spokesman Tony Ryall said a wider inquiry was necessary.

Health Minister Pete Hodgson said last night that he was unlikely to call for a wider review, "but I'll need to take a look at Waitemata's report".

"From the information I have at the moment, this case is best viewed as a tragic exception to an otherwise improving situation in mental health services.

"The rollout of the Mental Health Blueprint begun under National has continued at pace. The substantial deficit in mental health services of 10 years ago has been mostly, but not completely, addressed."

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey said too many mental patients were wandering the streets and he questioned whether they were being properly monitored.

- Additional reporting NZPA

Warning signs

The landlady of the mental health patient who fatally stabbed a man and knifed two others on Monday had been visited by police nearly 36 hours before his rampage.

Police went to her home at 1.27am on Sunday after the woman called 111.

Later that day, the man was assessed by Waitemata District Health Board mental health nurses, who were worried by his deteriorating condition and arranged for him to contact his case manager the next day. His attack was unexpected.