A delusory Cricklewood man who believed his mother was a witch doused her home in petrol and lit it up while she slept.
Psychiatric patient Paul Leane survived the explosion but his 63-year-old mother Henrietta died in her bed. A report published this week described Leane as "withdrawn and inept" and said he had been abnormally dependent on his mother.
Brent and Harrow Health Authority comes under fire for a number of shortcomings in its care of Leane, who was an outpatient from 1989 to 1997. The report concludes that the service it provided "was not of a particularly high standard".
The former Finchley High School student suffered bouts of depression. He poured petrol around the living room of the Neasden flat he shared with his mother on May 30, 1997. He ran off, leaving Mrs Leane to die of smoke inhalation as she slept.
Leane, who then moved to Ainsworth Close, Cricklewood, was sent to a secure psychiatric unit in May 1998 after pleading guilty to manslaughter. During the hearing his mother was described as the "only person he really loved", although in 1989 he had said he thought his mother was a witch and he was possessed by an "evil spirit".
Geoffrey Rose, acting chairman of the authority, said: "We offer our condolences to the family of this outpatient. This report is a timely reminder of what more could be done."
December 12, 2001 18:30
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