Man held over stabbing

A mental patient is being held by police after his next-door neighbour was stabbed to death outside his home.

Simon Breed, a 51-year-old builder, fell dying into the arms of his wife after staggering to his front door.

Theophilos Theophilou - who was released back into the community only a few months ago - went missing after the attack late on Thursday evening.

He was spotted by officers and arrested in Hyde Park at about midnight last night.

Mental health bosses told the Standard they were investigating why Theophilou, 34, also known as Philip, was released into the community.

Mr Breed was stabbed repeatedly. The keen violinist had just parked his van after returning to his home in Cornwall Avenue, Wood Green, from a practice session with a folk band.

The father-of-two managed to get to his front door where his wife called an ambulance. The couple's sons, aged 17 and 18, were at home at the time.

Mr Breed died at the North Middlesex-attack. Hospital shortly after the

Detective Inspector Ian Stevenson said a number of weapons were recovered from the scene.

It has emerged that Theophilou was in the care of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust and was an inpatient at St Ann's hospital last year.

Oliver Treacy, director of Enfield Mental Health Trust, said Theophilou was admitted to the mental health ward under section in February last year and stayed until June. He had attended some outpat ient appointments since, but had missed others. Mr Treacy said: "I

would have expected him to be under the care of a care coordinator, either a doctor, nurse or social worker. They would see him at least once a week or once a fortnight."

Today mental health campaigners and politicians said more had to be done to help people with mental illness and protect the community from those suffering from dangerous conditions.

Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of mental health charity Sane, said there was an overreliance on care in the community because of a lack of hospital beds.

She added: "This follows cases where people have been allowed to leave a psychiatric ward under section or have been discharged into the community and the risks they pose to themselves and others have not been assessed correctly."

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Paul Burstow said: "There are fewer mental health beds today than when the current government came into office. The reality is that mental health services tend to be treated as the Cinderella service until a tragedy like this happens. Clearly there have been failures in this case."

Theophilou was taken to a central London police station where he was today being questioned.