KENT MAN CONVICTED OF MANSLAUGHTER IN NEIGHBORS' KNIFE ATTACK
A 28-year-old man named Jack Ralph has been convicted for the manslaughter of his neighbours, Margaret and Sharon Harris, in Hadlow, Kent.Ralph attacked Margaret Harris, 78, and her daughter Sharon Harris, 55, with a kitchen knife on 29 September 2018, leading to their deaths.
He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2017 and was ordered to be detained indefinitely at a secure psychiatric hospital after a jury at Maidstone Crown Court rejected his plea of insanity but found him guilty of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
Ralph admitted to killing the two women and told police he was in a "blind rage" when he carried out the attack, expressing full regret about his actions.
He had also attempted to murder Mrs Harris’s husband, David, 76, who survived with serious injuries.
The court heard that Ralph searched online for the phrase "how long for murder" before the attack and attacked his neighbors shortly before 08:00 GMT.
The judge described the trial as "unusual" due to Ralph's plea of insanity, and sentenced him to indefinite detention in a secure hospital.
