Indefinite hospital order for knife-wielding Plymouth man

A man has been given an indefinite hospital order after a series of knife-related crimes in Plymouth.

Mareez Bachu, of Ebrington Street, Plymouth, previously pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding, possession of a bladed article in a public place, assaulting a police officer, and affray.

During the trial in February, he was found not guilty of attempted murder and wounding with intent during the incident on Belgrave Road, on Mutley Plain, on 8 April 2022.

Bachu, who has subsequently been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was given the order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act by a judge at Truro Crown Court on Thursday.

Judge Simon Carr said there there was “no doubt at all” Bachu was “very ill indeed” at the time of the incident.

Bachu, who was 20 at the time of the attack, chased after a man walking home before stabbing him twice in the abdomen, a four-day trial at Plymouth Crown Court heard in February.

Bachu was then confronted by members of the public before police arrived.

Earlier in the evening, Bachu brandished the knife, which he had concealed in a pizza box, towards shop workers and shoppers – with one man keeping him at bay with a broom handle and a wet floor sign.

Det Sgt Andrew Trott-Rodgers said police officers and members of the public had “reacted with immense courage” by confronting Bachu who was “still waving the knife around”, adding: “Bachu will now remain in a safe place to get the treatment he needs.”

Defence barrister Hannah Hurley said Bachu’s family had been trying to get help for him “over many years including on the night of the incident” and the circumstances “could have been avoided if the right help had arrived at the right time”.