Hospital order for woman who attacked stranger hours after release from Kettering mental health unit

A woman who attacked a complete stranger hours after being released from a Kettering mental health unit has been detained in hospital.

Demi-Lee Swales, who has a chronic psychotic disorder, assaulted her victim near a bus stop and left her with a scar.

The 23-year-old was being cared for at the Welland Centre, an inpatient facility at Kettering’s St Mary’s Hospital, until she was released two hours before the incident.

On Wednesday (June 21) she was sentenced to a hospital order and won’t be discharged without the approval of the Home Secretary.

Northampton Crown Court did not hear any facts surrounding Swales’ initial release from the mental health unit.

After the sentencing hearing we asked Northamptonshire Health Foundation Trust (NHFT), which runs the Welland Centre, whether staff assessed Swales before she was released from their care. We also asked whether they have put in place any new practices in light of what happened and whether they would conduct a review.

A spokesperson for NHFT said: “We are deeply saddened by the outcome of this incident. NHFT strives to provide outstanding patient care, in line with trust policies and procedures, which are reviewed on a regular basis.

"Whilst we are unable to comment on individual cases, all of our patients are fully risk assessed by a multi-disciplinary team, prior to discharge.”

Swales was in Kettering’s Horsemarket at about 2pm on September 7 last year when the assault took place.

Prosecutor Bethan Chichester said she walked past a woman who was waiting for a bus and then falsely claimed she had ‘raped her kid’.

Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking KC said: "She then launched a completely unprovoked attack, shouting unfounded abuse allegations.

"They were complete strangers."

The victim was struck to the head and needed five stitches. She was left with a scar under one eye and was ‘extremely distressed’ at the scene, the court heard.

Swales, formerly of Midland Road in Wellingborough, fled the scene but was arrested the next day. While in custody she assaulted three emergency workers.

One was spat at, another was punched and a third had a luke-warm cup of hot chocolate thrown over them.

Swales was charged with wounding with intent, criminal damage and assaulting an emergency worker and was initially remanded in custody before being moved to a hospital, where she remains.

She was not fit to plead or stand trial but was found to have committed the acts by a jury.

The court heard evidence from Dr Zakaria Halim, a forensic psychiatrist who specialises in women's forensic mental health.

He said Swales has a chronic psychotic disorder and is not responding to medication for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. He added that she has no insight into her condition, that she had assaulted hospital staff, and that another psychiatrist was of the view that she presented a potential serious risk of harm to the public in the community.

Judge Lucking KC made a section 41 hospital order under the Mental Health Act with restrictions because of the risk of Swales committing further offences.

She said: "It seems to me that the only sensible option to protect the public, rather than a sentence of imprisonment of course, is a hospital order."