Patrick Christys was left bemused today on GB News after finding out that a man who stabbed two women at a Marks & Spencer store will be locked up indefinitely in a high-security hospital.
Munawar Hussain, 60, attacked the store manager and a customer with a knife in 2020 in Burnley, Lancashire.
He also stabbed a male nurse in 2023 while in hospital.
Hussain told police he targeted the store because he believed M&S funded Israel to persecute Palestinians.
Patrick Christys was shocked by the ruling
GB NEWS / GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE
He was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order under the Mental Health Act yesterday - a ruling that left Patrick less than impressed.
“I defer to a better knowledge on this, absolutely”, he said on GB News.
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“I find it very difficult to understand what the difference is between radical Islamist ideology and being diagnosed with a mental health problem.
“He struck up a friendship with a male nurse, who spoke Hindi, he spoke about the nurse’s religious background.
“He asked to use a knife from the kitchen and then used the knife to try and stab the man. I find this very dubious.”
Patrick also pressed barrister Rebecca Butler on the matter, who sought to explain the sentencing.
Rebecca Butler insisted mental health matters have a high threshold
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“My concern is, is his mental health problem not radical Islam? Anyone who now commits an Islamist offence - they can just claim to be mental?”, he asked.
She responded: “I think that is an assertion that might find disfavour if you made that.
“It is an ideology, in my opinion a warped one. I don’t think it would fall under the psychiatric characterisations we have in the UK.”
Emily Carver also waded in to cite the case of Valdo Calocane, who was slapped with a similar sentence after a crazed series of attacks in Nottingham last year.
Valdo Calocane was given an indefinite hospital order in January after pleading guilty to manslaughterGB News“Punishment as we see it in most western democracies is a combination of punitive and rehabilitation element to your sentence”, she said.
“If you committed murder and you didn’t have a diminished responsibility defence, which would mean you go into Section 37 detention, you would have a minimum amount of time you have to serve in our system.
“I understand fully and fully sympathise with the murdered victims of Valdo Calocane.
“If you look at it in the round, you can’t believe anyone with an orderly mind would have committed those crimes.”
Patrick interjected to ask where it “ends”, arguing anyone who goes about committing a series of attacks similar to that of Calocane and Hussain are unlikely to be of sane mind.
“It’s hard to get a mental heath diagnosis”, she responded.
“You have to have independent psychiatric assessment. It is absolutely not a soft option - to get a hospital order.”