Sick burglar says: I killed Jill Dando

Steven Bates, a patient at the Oxford Clinic, a hospital for the mentally ill at Littlemore, had a fascination for knives and had often been seen behaving strangely with them, Oxford Crown Court heard.

Bates, 23, of Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, admitted one charge of affray but denied burglary.

Barnaby Evans, prosecuting, said Dr Richard Hollinrake had been in the front room of his home in St John Street, Oxford, at 9.30pm on May 1, when he heard a noise from his basement kitchen.

When he went to investi- gate, he saw a young man he recognised at the foot of the stairs holding a breadknife in his hand.

Mr Evans said Dr Hollinrake had known the defendant for about four years and knew he had psychiatric problems and a fascination with knives. The doctor had seen Bates often behaving strangely with knives in the kitchen. Mr Evans said: "He began to slash the air with the knife and to do karate kicks. He said he was the person who had killed Jill Dando." Dr Hollinrake managed to escape from the house and called the police from a friend's house.

Bates then phoned police and told them he had a shotgun.

When police surrounded the house, Bates appeared with the knife and a phone and held the knife to his throat, threatening to kill himself.

He later threw it down and was arrested.

In an interview, he later retracted the claim to be the assassin of Jill Dando.

Nigel Daly, defending, said Bates had not taken the knife with him but had found it in the kitchen.

He said a psychiatric report had concluded it was not necessary to lock Bates up.

Judge Paul Clark said he intended to impose a Section 41 order on Bates, which would detain him in the secure unit of a mental hospital. He said he had to protect the public.

Sentence was adjourned until Wednesday, October 13, and Bates was ordered to stay at the Oxford Clinic.

Story date: Monday 11 October

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