Man Who Stabbed George Harrison Is Freed
A schizophrenic man who broke into the house of former Beatle George Harrison and attacked him with a knife three years ago was discharged from a secure British mental hospital on Thursday.
Michael Abram had been found not guilty by reason of insanity after breaking into Harrison’s house in 1999 and repeatedly stabbing him and attacking his wife Olivia.
He was confined to the Scott Clinic secure mental hospital outside Liverpool, northwest England.
“Michael Abram, Scott Clinic patient, has been given a conditional discharge today by a mental health review tribunal,” the National Health Service trust which runs the clinic said in a statement.
“In this case, the tribunal has given a conditional discharge. The conditions, which remain confidential, are to ensure the safety of the public.”
Harrison survived the stabbing but died last November of cancer.
Abram’s lawyer, Peter Edwards, told Reuters Abram had responded to drug treatment for his schizophrenia and had been symptom-free for two years.
“That’s the great tragedy of Michael Abram’s case,” he said. “He had spent many years going to hospitals and doctors seeking treatment for his mental illness, and been rebuffed.
“If they had done their jobs properly, Mr. Harrison and Mrs. Harrison would never have been attacked,” the lawyer said.
A spokeswoman for the trust said it would take a few days for Abram to be released, and that he would continue to live in a “structured care environment.”
Harrison’s family expressed shock and dismay at the news and said they had not been informed earlier of preparations for Abram’s release.
“We certainly wish Mr. Abram no ill, but to be presented with this as a fact after the event is deeply upsetting and insulting and we feel completely let down by the system,” Harrison’s widow Olivia and his son Dhani said in a statement.
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