Buzzin Disgrace

Darren Harkin, 21-years-old, had been detained at the age of 12 when he took a kitchen knife and stabbed his six-month old baby step-brother, David to death.

The assault was vicious and the baby suffered stab wounds to his head, chest and spine and also had one of his hands cut off.

After the murder, he walked to the local police station to confess, he was given a hospital order after pleading guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Over the years he had been in several institutions before being moved to Hayes Hospital, near Bristol in January 2007 and is described as an independent hospital for adults, managed by the National Autistic Society.

Hawkins has been diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia and autistic spectrum disorder, but was still placed in a low-security hospital.

Despite three previous escapes, Hawkins was deemed fit for a transfer to the hospital, where on February 2nd he escaped again, the police were notified 30 minutes after he had fled.  Hawkins broke in to a house nearby, where he stole knifes, cooked himself a meal and stole some clothes.

On the 3rd February, Hawkins walked across the Severn Bridge to Chepstow in Monmouthshire, where he attacked a 14-year-old girl.  He threatened to kill her with a knife before dragging the schoolgirl into a secluded spot where he raped her.

Hawkins had not only be allowed to collect a pornographic and horror DVD’s at the unit but was also taken out by staff to the cinema to watch horror movies.

Months before the attack, Hawkins had to be put on 24-hour supervision after he’d lunged at staff and punched walls, before asking a female worker for sex.

Apparently, Avon and Somerset Police were not even warned of the dangers Hawkins posed, the only information they received from the hospital unit was that Hawkins may neglect himself not that he was a risk to other people.

Unbelievable, why are the Autistic Society in charge of the mental patients, surely that is a job for professional psychiatrists?

Bring back the death penalty, why should this evil man be allowed to live after murdering an innocent baby and then ruining the life of a young girl.