DAGENHAM MAN KILLED HIS FAMILY DUE TO DELUSIONS, LOCKED UP INDEFINITELY
A 28-year-old man named Nicholas Aina was involved in a grievous crime on October 30, 2022, in Dagenham, East London, where he attacked his mother with a knife, killing her, and also stabbed his sister multiple times.The Old Bailey court heard that Aina was experiencing psychosis and paranoid delusions, believing his family was involved in black magic and harboring other delusional ideas about witchcraft, electrical shocks, and claiming to be the "king of Africa." After the incident, he turned himself into the police, acknowledging his guilt and stating that he was responsible on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to mental illness, along with charges of unlawful wounding.
The judge ordered that he be detained indefinitely in a hospital, citing the danger he still posed stemming from paranoid schizophrenia.
It was revealed that he had previously been detained twice under the Mental Health Act and had a history of violence towards relatives, including once hitting his sister with a lamp and threatening his mother with a knife.
His mental health had worsened significantly in the week before the assault.
Aina had traveled to Paris two days earlier and returned to Dagenham on the day of the attack.
During the stabbing, his sister described him as appearing "possessed" when he came into her room, threatening to kill her and calling her a witch before stabbing her multiple times.
His mother intervened but was also attacked; she died at the scene.
Later, Aina reported himself to the police, confessing to the stabbing and stating that his actions were driven by perceived threats from his family.
The court emphasized that his mental health issues greatly influenced his responsibility for the crime and warranted a reduction in punishment, given his history of mental health problems and detention under the Mental Health Act.
