Singer 'told to kill by God'

An Old Bailey judge ordered an inquiry today after a singer stabbed a stockbroker to death on his doorstep.

Heavy drug user David Bartlett, 27, had been treated by psychiatrists for four years and was on police bail when he thought God had directed him to kill.

He stabbed 23-year-old Pascal Furness repeatedly and wounded his doctor father outside their home in Crouch End. Bartlett told police he wanted to kill Mr Furness, who worked for Schroders. He added: "I hope he dies."

Judge Christopher Moss QC called on the care authorities "to see whether steps can be taken to avoid this sort of tragedy happening in the future".

Bartlett, who fronted the Brighton band Riot, admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

A paranoid schizophrenic who used the animal anaesthetic Ketamine, he was ordered to be detained for "a long time" under the 1983 Mental Health Act.