A MAN has been sent to a secure hospital for an indefinite period for killing an acquaintance he believed was leading a conspiracy against him.

David Jacobs, 32, stabbed New Haw man Gary Hopkins several times in the neck and chest while suffering from hallucinations and delusional thoughts.

At Guildford Crown Court on Thursday last week, Jacobs, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to manslaughter of Mr Hopkins.

He was given the hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983, with a further restriction under Section 41, on grounds of diminished responsibility due to a serious mental health disorder.

The court had been told that Mr Hopkins suffered several stab wounds outside his home in Heathervale Way on Monday 4 October last year – the day after Jacobs’s birthday. Friends and neighbours who had seen the attack gave the victim CPR until an ambulance arrived.

The police arrived at 7.30pm to find Mr Hopkins lying close to his front door. Paramedics were unable to save him and pronounced him dead at 8.24pm. At a post-mortem examination, Mr Hopkins’s cause of death was determined to be a stab wound to the chest.

A murder investigation was started. Police officers interviewed witnesses to the attack and Jacobs was quickly identified as the suspect. He was arrested the next day by armed response officers in Station Road, Addlestone. The knife used in the stabbing was never found.

The court accepted a guilty plea of manslaughter by grounds of diminished responsibility after hearing from two forensic psychiatrists how Jacobs was suffering from auditory hallucinations and delusional thoughts at the time of the stabbing.

Both psychiatrists agreed that Jacobs did know that what he was doing was against the law. But they concluded that his ability to form a rational judgement was substantially impaired by his mental condition.

The court heard how Jacobs believed that Mr Hopkins was leading a conspiracy against him and that he had taken a knife to Mr Hopkins’s house. These thoughts and hallucinations were determined to be the sole motive for the unprovoked attack.

Paying tribute to Mr Hopkins, his family said: “It is hard to put into words how we as a family have felt since hearing that Gary was taken from us.

“There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t think about him, and we still find it hard to believe we will never talk to or see him again. He had a heart of gold and would help anyone who asked.

“We remain devastated at the loss of Gary, who was a son, brother, father, nephew, and uncle. Nobody has the right to take someone else’s life and we will never forgive the man who took Gary away from us.”

The investigation was led by Temporary Detective Superintendent Charlotte Rimmer, who said after the court case: “This tragic and unprovoked incident has left Gary’s family and friends devastated and our deepest sympathies are with them today.

“The attack took place within metres of Gary’s front door and was witnessed by some of his closest neighbours and friends.

“It’s important to recognise the bravery of members of his immediate community who rushed to Gary’s aid and gave him CPR until the paramedics arrived on the scene.”

She added that anyone who was concerned about someone carrying a knife could help save a life by reporting what they know to the police.

Call Surrey Police on 101, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or visit the report section of www.surreypolice.uk.