COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

A member of the public reported the incident but police are still searching for the victim



Police are investigating reports of a stabbing yesterday afternoon in Coventry.

A police cordon was put in place on Bushberry Avenue, in Tile Hill, yesterday evening.

Officers attended the scene after a concerned member of the public reported a possible stabbing at about 6.50pm.

Specialist officers were given time to collect any forensic evidence which was potentially left at the scene.

However, when officers arrived, no victim had been identified.

Det Insp Stuart Bell said: “No one at the scene had sustained any injuries and, at present, no victim has been identified.

“Hospital checks are being carried out to establish whether this is definitely the case.

“I urge anyone who was in the vicinity, and saw what happened, to contact us as soon as possible with any information.”

Those with information are asked to contact police on 101. Alternatively if you do not want to speak directly to police you can call Crimestoppers confidentially on 0800 555 111. Please quote log number 2058 of 20/12/2017.

West Midlands Ambulance Service were called by police to the scene but were later stood down.

Man detained under mental health act after pensioner stabbed in Tile Hill



A man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder has been detained under the mental health act, police have confirmed.

Police were called to reports of a stabbing at a property in Station Avenue, Tile Hill , on Friday at around 6pm.

The victim, a 74-year-old woman, was taken to hospital following the incident.

In an update on her condition, a West Midlands Police spokesperson confirmed that “she is still serious, but stable.”

A 46-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, and West Midlands Police have revealed that “he has been detained under the Mental Health Act.”

Previously, a spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “Both parties are thought to be known to each other and police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the enquiry.”

Anyone with information is asked to call West Midlands Police’s Public Protection Unit in Coventry on 101.

Man stabbed mother 17 times in frenzied attack in Coventry

A MAN who carried out a frenzied knife attack on his mother, stabbing her 17 times after being ‘spoken to’ by the Christmas tree, has been detained in a secure psychiatric unit.

Warwick Crown Court heard that Leon Szewerniak launched his attack while he was staying with his parents at their home in Station Avenue, Tile Hill, Coventry, for Christmas in 2017.

Szewerniak (48) of Bamford Avenue, London, was sentenced under the Mental Health Act to be detained at a secure psychiatric unit for an indefinite period.

And Judge Sylvia de Bertodano also imposed a restriction order, which means he can only be discharged with the consent of the Justice Secretary and will be liable to be recalled if his future behaviour given cause for concern.

Prosecutor Ben Aina QC said Szewerniak suffers from manic schizophrenia and psychosis, and lived in supported accommodation in London where his parents John and Joan visited him every two weeks.

In the intervening weeks, he stayed with them at their home in Coventry from the Friday to the Tuesday.

Asked by Judge Sylvia de Bertodano whether Szewerniak would ‘ever cease to be dangerous,’ psychiatrist Dr John Kennedy, who had prepared a report on him, replied: “I think the risks of relapse are long-term.”

Sentencing Szewerniak, who was flanked by staff from Reaside, Judge de Bertodano told him: “She suffered life-threatening injuries. We don’t know how she is now, because she doesn’t want to talk to anyone in the prosecution about this.

“You have taken responsibility for it by pleading guilty at the first opportunity, and the reason you committed this offence is your long-standing psychiatric condition.

“You are a very vulnerable individual with regards to your mental health. Not only do you suffer from schizophrenia, but also from severe psychosis.

“You also suffered a brain injury by you jumping from a railway bridge as a result of your psychosis, and that has left you with brain damage.”

“… It was your mental disorder which caused this offence. Without correct treatment, you would remain a danger to yourself and to other people.”