Pleaded guilty to manslaughter under diminished responsibility

A man who stabbed a businessman to death with a pair of scissors in a frenzied, unprovoked attack at a tapas bar in Mortlake in April last year was sentenced today, Monday 16 March at the Old Bailey.

Nicholas Hunter, 37, (1.6.77), an Engineering Technician of Rodenhurst Road, Clapham pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility at the same court earlier today.

Hunter has been sentenced under Section 37 Mental Health Act, receiving an indeterminate sentence in a secure facility under Section 41 of the Mental Health Act.

Police were called at around 20.50hrs to The Tapestry, Lower Mortlake Road, SW14 on 22 April 2014 to reports of a man stabbed. James Fiennes, 49, was taken by London Ambulance Service to St George's Hospital where he died in the early hours of 23 April.

Hunter was arrested by police at the scene and was charged with the murder of Mr Fiennes and threats to kill against a second man the next day.

Hunter was having a drink in The Tapestry with a friend that evening until became violent and stabbed Mr Fiennes several times, before he was wrestled to the ground and disarmed by a member of the public who was in the bar at the time of the attack.

A post mortem-examination took place at Kingston Mortuary on 26 April 2014 gave the cause of death as stab wound to the heart.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Ashwin from the Homicide & Serious Crime Command said:
"This was a completely unprovoked assault on Mr Fiennes who was in London on business and was on his own working on his laptop in the pub before he was attacked and killed by Hunter. Our thoughts and sympathies are with his family at this very difficult time."

March 20, 2015