A schizophrenic Polish warehouse worker who stabbed to death a mother-of-two as she tried to stop the stranger kidnapping her two children has been given an indefinite hospital order.

 

A man who broke into a family home and stabbed a mother of two to death while she was on the phone to her husband has been given an indefinite hospital order.

Nicola Cross, 37, was killed defending her two small children on the night of 14 September 2015 while her husband was away on business.

 

At St Albans Crown Court on Friday (December 16) he pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. It emerged during the police investigation that he had paranoid schizophrenia and had been hearing voices telling him to save children who were being starved.

 

The court heard that the defendant had started behaving abnormally three weeks before he killed her, alarming a friend by frequently referring to fictitious events.
After his arrest Porczynski claimed he believed he had to save the children, who were being 'starved'. Traces of cocaine and cannabis were found in his blood but the prosecution said bore no bearing on the attack.

 

Marcin Porczynski, of Claymore, Hemel Hempstead, was also charged with two counts of kidnap, one count of aggravated burglary. These matters have been ordered to lie on file.

 

Phillip Mansfield, District Crown Prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “Manslaughter by diminished responsibility is a partial defence to murder, which is only established if there is medical evidence that it is more likely than not that a defendant was suffering from an abnormality of mind that substantially impaired their responsibility for their actions.

 

“When Porczynski indicated a guilty plea to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, we carefully and thoroughly reviewed all the evidence in this case, including the assessment of independent psychiatric reports. In light of all the evidence, the CPS took the view that it was appropriate to accept the plea and fully discussed the decision with Nicola’s husband before accepting the plea.

“This case represents a devastating tragedy with Nicola a wife, and a mother of two being killed in such horrific circumstances. I would like to thank her husband and family for the support they have given to the prosecution of this case. Our thoughts are very much with all of Nicola’s family and friends at this time.”

 

'I WILL NEVER FORGIVE MYSELF FOR NOT BEING THERE' 

Danny Cross paid tribute to his wife (pictured together), who he spent 11 years with, and said they had an almost 'sickening perfect' life that was now destroyed

 

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