Mental health off the hook for fatal stabbing

The mental health nurses who assessed Martin Lyall the day before a stabbing rampage in West Auckland did their job properly, a review has concluded.

Lyall was yesterday named publicly for the first time as the Massey man accused of murdering Kevan Newman, 65, nearly two weeks ago.

Lyall, listed in a court document as a 34-year-old cook, is also charged with attempting to murder Robert Norcross, wounding parking warden Pes Fa'aui and assaulting a constable to avoid arrest.

The alleged attacks took place in Railside Ave, Henderson on November 28 around 1pm. Police shot Lyall, who was taken to Auckland City Hospital.

Yesterday, in a bedside hearing of the Waitakere District Court at the hospital, Lyall was remanded into secure care at the Mason Clinic for further psychiatric assessment.

Lyall was a voluntary community patient of the Waitemata District Health Board's mental health service. His last admission to an acute unit was in the late 1990s.

The service's director, psychiatrist Dr Margaret Honeyman, has reviewed the handling of the case.

Board chief executive Dwayne Crombie withheld most of the review findings yesterday because of the court case.

A brief board statement says: "The review concluded that the care provided to the man was appropriate and the events that occurred could not have been predicted.

"Community mental health staff who had contact with the man the day before the event acted properly and professionally."

Mr Newman's family, after being briefed on the review findings, said they still had concerns about whether his death was preventable.

At 1.27am on the Sunday, the day before the attacks, police visited Lyall at home after his landlady called 111.

She had said she felt unsafe and wanted Lyall removed.

But when the officers arrived, she told them she was no longer afraid and did not want him removed.

They stayed for some time and assessed her demeanour. They did not call the mental health service.

That evening two nurses from an acute mental health team visited Lyall at home after a call from the landlady.

They decided against starting the legal process for compulsory assessment and treatment.

Instead, the nurses arranged for Lyall to contact his case manager, which he did on the Monday - they agreed to meet the next day - in the hours preceding the stabbings.

Yesterday's court hearing lasted six minutes and was held in Lyall's private hospital room. He was conscious throughout.

A uniformed police officer was stationed outside the room, as has been the case since Lyall was admitted to hospital.

Psychiatrist Dr Ian Goodwin told Judge Phil Recordon the seriousness of the offending was such that Lyall needed to be remanded into the care of a secure facility, rather than prison, for further assessment.