A York man who stabbed an elderly American tourist outside a hotel in the city has been given a hospital order with special restrictions for the protection of the public.
Matthew McPherson, 26, crept up behind Larry Welshans and stabbed him with a kitchen knife in the grounds of The Moxy hotel in Peasholme Green in what was a random, motiveless attack.
Due to McPherson’s mental health issues, he was deemed unfit to stand trial in April and so a jury was empanelled in his absence to determine whether he did the act alleged.
The jury found that McPherson did the act, namely wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
McPherson, from Dunnington, was also charged with carrying two kitchen knives at the time of the attack and the jury also found that he did those acts.
Prosecutor Philip Standfast said that victim Mr Welshans and his wife were staying at The Moxy hotel in Black Horse Lane at the time of the attack in October last year.
Mr Welshans, who was in his 70s, woke early at about 5am on 9 October and went outside for a cigarette while his wife got ready for their departure to London.
Having forgotten the key to get back inside the hotel, he remained sitting at a picnic table and was playing games on his phone, waiting for his wife to let him back in, when two ambulance men approached him and asked him if he’d seen a “bloke” they were looking for.
Mr Welshans said he hadn’t seen any such “bloke”.
Curiously, Mr Standfast said the search for this individual was not necessarily linked to the attack which was about to befall the unsuspecting American tourist.
Attacker said sorry
He said it was at this point, as the ambulance crew were heading back towards the hotel, that Mr Welshans felt somebody grab him from behind. He then felt “what he thought was a fist” to his stomach as if he had been punched.
Mr Standfast said that it was McPherson who delivered that blow, which turned out to be a stab with a knife.
McPherson said “sorry” to the victim then ran up the street towards the ambulance crew and said: “Help, he’s been stabbed.”
The ambulance crew turned back towards the stricken tourist who was bleeding. He was taken to hospital and gave a description of the man who had attacked him.
Mr Welshans, who was in a “great deal of pain”, was treated at Leeds General Infirmary and mercifully survived the attack.
One of the ambulance team said that he saw McPherson leave his bicycle at a bike rack next to the hotel, then saw him running past shouting “something like ‘he’s stabbed himself, help, help, ambulance’”.
He said the man had a knife in his hand which he threw into the road. He described the man as being “agitated and hyped up”.
He said that Mr Welshans had an injury to his torso and stomach and a cut to his right leg, so he put a dressing on the wound to stem the bleeding. He later gave police a description of the attacker.
Found with two knives
A police officer saw a man matching that description walking along Barbican Road later that morning and followed McPherson in his vehicle.
The officer got out of his vehicle and approached McPherson who said that “he was the person they were looking for, and he was going to Fulford Road Police Station”.
As he was arrested, McPherson – formerly of Sawyers Walk, Dunnington, but now living in secure accommodation – asked “if the guy was OK”.
During a search, police found two black-handled kitchen knives on McPherson which he was carrying at the time of the stabbing.
Judge Simon Hickey gave McPherson a hospital order due to the York man’s serious mental-health issues.
McPherson received the hospital order under the Mental Health Act, with the addition of what is called a Section 41 restriction which means that he could be detained indefinitely or until discharged by the Ministry of Justice or Mental Health Tribunal.
Such an order is made when a defendant is deemed to pose a risk of serious harm to the public.
‘Horrific end’
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Alex Dorlin, of York CID, said: “This was a shocking and frightening attack on an innocent member of the public bringing what was an enjoyable holiday in one of our most beautiful places, to a horrific end.
“Thankfully he survived his injuries and has since returned home to the USA. I would like to thank him for his support with the investigation during what must have been an extremely traumatic time for him.
“My thanks also go to the witnesses who provided information to support the investigation, and to the ambulance staff who not only had to provide urgent medical care to the victim and report the incident to the police, but also had to consider the potential danger still posed by the suspect who lingered at the scene.
“I hope Mr McPherson, who has been shown to be a serious risk to public safety, now gets the help he needs.”