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Registered
Rodney Anyanwu
Violetta Vella
Voices urged him to kill
KILLER Rodney Anyanwu first became known to the authorities in 1993 when he was admitted to The Whittington Hospital suffering "aggression and sexual disinhibition". Chillingly, Anyanwu also heard voices urging him to kill.
Five years later he was admitted to St Luke's Hospital, in Mu
swell Hill, still hearing voices in his head. In 2001 he was sectioned and upon release sent back to a hostel in Islington. It was intended that an outreach team would re
gularly visit him there.
By December 2001 the outreach team knew he was not taking his medication but did not take Anyanwu back to hospital.
James Dawson, prosecuting, told the Old Bailey: "It is a concern that he was obviously not well and not complying with the medication."
Ian Jobling, defending, said: "The outreach team could only see him on 40 per cent of the occasions when they went to see him. There was no real supervision."
Then, on February 18, 2002, Anyanwu broke into the Islington council flat where Mrs Vella lived alone and stabbed her repeatedly in the neck.
Anyanwu has previous convictions for damage to property, burglary, theft and assaulting a police officer. He used heroin and methadone and was a heavy drinker.
A statement from Camden and Islington Mental Healt
h an
d Social Care Trust said: "The care trust would like to express again its sincere condolences to the family of Violetta Vella.
"Rodney Anyanwu was receiving treatment from the trust from 1993 until the h
omicide in 2002.
"He had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was known to misuse drugs but at the time he killed Mrs Vella he appeared to be compliant with his treatment and was showing no signs of illness.
"He had a history of offences including theft and assault on a police officer but there was no indication that he could commit a homicide.
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