Phil Bradley QC and Jas Mann, of No5 Barristers’ Chambers have defended a father of two who killed a man and seriously injured three others.

Karl Glancey, who had been diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic, fatally stabbed a man in his neck and knifed two others after attacking his wife with a scaffolding bar. He admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that Glancey, 44, had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2013 following a similar assault on his wife, but had since come off medication under his doctor’s supervision.

On November 12 last year he attacked his wife with the scaffolding bar and over the course of two hours drove from house to house in search of his other victims. At Poplar Close, Tividale, he tied his father-in-law to a noose and attached it to his car with the intention of dragging him along at speed.

His victim, 70-year-old Graham Gethin was able to escape the noose, but Glancey returned, grabbed two knives from the kitchen and stabbed Mr Gethin, before trying to run him over. Mr Gethin was left paralysed down one side.

Glancey then went on to attack Mr Gethin’s sister Margaret Timmins, 73, by slashing her across the cheek and leaving a four-inch wound. He then sought out three other potential victims – all of who were fortunate to be away from their homes and avoided incident.

The final, and fatal, attack occurred when Glancey drove to his parents’ home in Corngeaves Walk, Cradley Heath, where he saw neighbour Martin Briggs, 47, looking out of his window. Glancey stabbed him in the neck, but Mr Briggs was not discovered until 10am the following day and had bled to death.

The defendant was caught several hours after the attacks when he stole a van from Stourbridge and police were able to locate him using the vehicle’s tracking device.

Glancey, formerly of Dingle Avenue, Cradley Heath, was handed a lifelong hospital order with special restrictions, the highest sentence possible under the Mental Health Act. Two charges of attempted murder and 1 of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm were left on file.