Guardian coverage:
Davis, 31, had admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. A psychiatrist for his defence team, Dr Richard Pool, concluded he had a mental illness, schizoaffective disorder, at the time.
But the prosecution refused to accept his plea. Its expert, Dr John Sandford, told the court: “I find no evidence of abnormality of his mental functioning at the time. It was a purposeful action and he was perfectly aware of the reality of what he was doing.”
…
In January 2023 Davis had told a support worker that he would kill himself or someone else. He went to a police station and was taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital. Two psychiatrists examined him and said he did not need to be detained.
On the morning of the killing, Davis called the police and said he would burn his flat down if he was not arrested. When emergency services arrived, he told them he would kill a “random person” if he was not detained, and he was taken back to the Royal Devon and Exeter.
He was seen by mental health specialists and again said he was going to kill someone, but he was discharged.
Davis left hospital at 12.49pm and killed England at about 3.55pm. When he was picked up in Exeter city centre, he told police: “I fucking warned you. None of you … listened.”
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jul/09/cameron-davis-guilty-lorna-england-murder-exeter