Killer of Bury St Edmunds man handed life sentence and detained in a psychiatric unit
The killer of a Bury St Edmunds man is to be detained in a secure psychiatric unit.
Mourad Belarbi, 44, had taken drugs and was suffering from a mental illness when he launched a violent attack on Geoffrey Caton.
Today (Friday) Belarbi, of Lake Avenue, Bury St Edmunds appeared at Ipswich Crown Court via a video link from Rampton Hospital where he is currently being held.
After hearing evidence from an expert in mental health, Judge Martyn Levett handed Belarbi a life sentence of which he will have to serve at least 10 years before being considered for release.
Belarbi will be detained in a secure unit under the Mental Health Act.
Belarbi had pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Caton on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
The body of Mr Caton, 57, was found at a property in Cumberland Avenue on July 20 last year.
Mr Caton suffered 65 stab wounds, mostly to his body, which led to his death as a result of blood loss.
A pathologist said the wounds had been delivered with 'severe force'.
Following Belarbi's arrest, two psychiatrists interviewed him and agreed that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, made worse by drug use, and which helped to explain his actions in killing Mr Caton.
Judge Martyn Levett told Belarbi that he would reappear before the court on April 4 when he may be sentenced.
When Belarbi pleaded guilty in January to manslaughter on what had been due to be the first day of his trial for murder, the court heard that both he and Mr Caton had been drug users and taken amphetamine, cannabis and cocaine together.
The court heard that the day before the killing, Belabi held an airgun to Mr Caton's head but then apologised, saying he was 'only playing'.
The following day, after Belarbi and Mr Caton had been taking drugs the two men had been last seen together by a neighbour 'happily' watching TV.
Half an hour later, Belarbi banged at the neighbour's door with blood in his hands and face and holding a blood-stained knife.
Belarbi told the neighbour that Mr Caton was 'the Devil' and was 'evil'.
Andrew Jackson, prosecuting, told the court at an earlier hearing that a man who climbed a ladder to attempt to gain access to Mr Caton's flat had looked in through a window to see a scene of 'utter devastation' amongst which was Mr Caton's body.
We want to remember our brother Geoff at his best - Mr Caton's family
Detective Inspector Karl Nightingale, of the Major Investigation Team, said: “Geoffrey Caton tragically died following a violent and frenzied attack by Mourad Belarbi.
“Belarbi was immediately identified as a suspect and all the evidence gathered proved he was responsible for killing Mr Caton.
“Once the psychiatric reports concluded that he was suffering with such an abnormality of mind owing to his paranoid schizophrenia, an alternative charge of manslaughter was offered, which was finally accepted.
"This decision has prevented Mr Caton’s family from enduring the distress of a full trial.”
In a statement issued by Suffolk Police, Mr Caton’s family said: "The case has obviously had a deep impact on the family. It has taken over a year to reach this point.
"However, we are pleased with the outcome, taking into account the ferocity of the attack on our brother and son, plus any future danger to the public.
"We also reiterate our thanks to the emergency services: the first responders who dealt with the immediate impact; and the police and the family support team, who have kept us fully informed throughout this ordeal.
"We want to thank his friends who tried to help him.
"Geoff travelled in Europe and America making friends across both continents, yet most importantly found friends who cared for him right here on his doorstep in Suffolk.
“We want to remember our brother Geoff at his best.
"He wasn’t an angel, but he was a man who cared about other people, who rang his mother every day to chat and check-up on her, despite his own frail health.
"A man who loved music, meditation, art and photography.
“Thank you.”
