Phiona Davis

Case record: Phiona Davis

Status

Phiona Davis was found not guilty of murder due to insanity on September 13, 2004. She was also found not guilty of arson by reason of insanity and was given a hospital order under section 37 of the Mental Health Act with a section 41 restriction, meaning she can never be freed without permission from the Home Office. She was returned to Broadmoor special hospital where she was being treated.

People

• Phiona Davis (25) — defendant; student; of Green Lanes, Palmers Green, north London.
• Keith Fernandez (27) — Phiona Davis’s former boyfriend; found with 58 stab wounds.
• Mary Skerrit (81) — Phiona Davis’s great-grandmother; found with 130 stab wounds.

Timeline

• October (last year) — Both victims were found with multiple stab wounds.
• October 12 last year — Neighbours reported a man screaming at Davis’s home; the door was broken down and Davis was found astride her lover’s body, repeatedly stabbing him in the face.
• October 13, 2003 — Keith Fernandez was found with more than 50 stab wounds at Green Lanes.
• October (the next day) — Mary Skerrit was found with more than 100 stab wounds at her burning home in Stoke Newington, north London; fires had been started there.
• 2002 — The court heard Davis showed some manic behaviour and expressed interest in the church.
• Early 2003 — Davis became a regular worshipper at the Kabbalah Centre.
• April 2003 — General practitioner notes recorded that Davis reported feeling controlled by the church and feeling scared living alone; she reported not eating or drinking properly and believed people from the Kabbalah Centre were walking around her flat.
• 6 April, 2004 — Phiona Davis appeared at the Old Bailey to deny murdering her great-grandmother and her former boyfriend; she also denied arson; she was remanded until 30 July.
• 30 July (2004) — She was remanded until 30 July.
• 6 September (2004) — She was due to stand trial on 6 September.
• Tuesday (14 September, 2004) — The Old Bailey heard she was found not guilty of murder due to insanity; the court heard she had also been found not guilty of arson by reason of insanity.
• Tuesday (14 September, 2004) — Judge Martin Stephens told her: “When you committed these appalling acts of violence, you were suffering from a severe schizophrenic illness.”

Background

Phiona Davis was described as having told doctors that she thought Keith Fernandez was a robot and that her great-grandmother Mary Skerrit was the devil. The court heard she believed “judgment day” had arrived and that she attacked the victims because of this.

The prosecution told the jury that Davis said she had attacked the victims because she thought “judgment day” had arrived. David Evans QC stated that Davis had shown some manic behaviour in 2002 and expressed interest in the church, saying God was speaking to her. The court heard Davis became a regular worshipper at the Kabbalah Centre in early 2003 and that she reported feeling controlled by the church. She reported she felt scared living alone, was not eating or drinking properly, and believed people from the Kabbalah Centre were walking around her flat. The court heard she had been discharged from hospital twice after her psychotic symptoms disappeared following overnight stays, and that she failed to keep follow-up appointments. By the trial, she responded to medication and was described as “extraordinarily distressed by what she has done.”

At her sentencing hearing, Judge Martin Stephens said that forensic psychiatrist Professor Nigel Eastman had called her “one of the illest people he had met in over 20 years”.

The offence

Stabbing of Keith Fernandez

Keith Fernandez, aged 27, was found with 58 stab wounds at Green Lanes on 13 October 2003. The court heard neighbours broke down the door after reporting a man screaming at Davis’s home on October 12 last year. They found Davis astride her lover’s body, repeatedly stabbing him in the face.

As a witness described Davis’s appearance, the witness said: “Her eyes were glazed and evil looking and she had an evil look on her face.”

Davis warned: “Don’t come any closer. I’m going to do it.”

Keith Fernandez managed to stagger out of the flat but collapsed and died.

Stabbing and fires at Mary Skerrit’s home

Mary Skerrit, 81, was found with 130 stab wounds a day later at her home in Stoke Newington, north London, at a burning home after a number of fires had been started there. The court heard Davis had attacked Mrs Skerritt at her home in Spencer Grove, Stoke Newington after David Evans QC told the jury Miss Davis had stood outside Mrs Skerrit’s flat holding her hands outstretched and said: “I am the Messiah”.

The court heard that Davis held out her hands “like Jesus” and tried to stop the firefighters entering the flat, shouting: “only God can judge me in the heavens.”

Neighbours called the fire brigade after seeing smoke billowing from the windows. Davis screamed: “I am God, I am the benevolent one, burn the demons and burn her.”

Mrs Skerrit was found lying in a pool of blood in the hallway. Crucifixes and the woman’s jewellery had been laid out on the floor, and a palm cross was left by the front door. Davis had set four fires in the house and all the gas rings were on.

As she was taken away, she screamed: “You can arrest me, but you can’t punish me. Only God can punish me.”

Investigation and arrest-related events

After the killings and fires, later at Stoke Newington police station, Davis attempted to strangle herself and smeared crosses on the wall with excrement and blood. Davis shouted at police: “I am the messiah and the king of kings. I will forgive you all.”

Trial

Charges denied and remand

Phiona Davis (25) appeared at the Old Bailey and denied murdering her great-grandmother and her former boyfriend. She also denied arson. She was remanded until 30 July.

Insanity defence and verdicts

The jury heard that Davis told doctors she thought Keith Fernandez was a robot and her great-grandmother Mary Skerrit was the devil. The court heard that both were found with multiple stab wounds and that Davis attacked them because she thought “judgment day” had arrived.

The jury found Davis not guilty of murder due to insanity and not guilty of arson by reason of insanity. She denied all of the charges.

Judge Martin Stephens told her: “When you committed these appalling acts of violence, you were suffering from a severe schizophrenic illness.”

Sentencing and hospital order

Davis was given a hospital order under section 37 of the Mental Health Act with a section 41 restriction. The restriction meant she could never be freed without permission from the Home Office.

Quotations

• Phiona Davis said: “judgment day” had arrived.
• Davis said: “I am the Messiah”.
• Davis said: “I am the Messiah”.
• Judge Martin Stephens said: “When you committed these appalling acts of violence, you were suffering from a severe schizophrenic illness.”
• Forensic psychiatrist Professor Nigel Eastman described her as: “one of the illest people he had met in over 20 years”.
• I’m going to do it.”
• Witness said: “Her eyes were glazed and evil looking and she had an evil look on her face.”
• Davis shouted: “God done good, for this is done through God.”
• Davis shouted: “only God can judge me in the heavens.”
• Davis screamed: “You can arrest me, but you can’t punish me. Only God can punish me.”
• Davis shouted: “I am the messiah and the king of kings. I will forgive you all.”
• Davis shouted: “I am God, I am the benevolent one, burn the demons and burn her.”
• Davis shouted: “You can arrest me, but you can’t punish me. Only God can punish me.”
• Only God can punish me.”

Other details

Davis became a devotee of the Kabbalah religion, and she was described as a regular worshipper at the London branch of the Kabbalah Centre in Stratford Place, Mayfair. The court heard she was set up with a £3.65 million grant from Madonna.