80 year old Pensioner jailed for attempted Murder
An 80-year-old man has been sentenced to more than thirteen years behind bars for the attempted murder of a member of staff at his care home. Pensioner, Fred Butcher, was armed with a cleaver and a knife when he repeatedly stabbed the woman at the residential care home on Marsham Street in Maidstone on 26th January. His victim was left with a number of serious stab wounds to her head and body. The unprovoked attack was only ended when a visitor to the care home saw the attack and stepped in to pull Butcher away from his victim, and then sat on Butcher to restrain him while the police were called. When the police arrived, Butcher told the officers that he had meant to kill the person he had attacked, but hadn’t managed it. Butcher was charged with attempted murder at Maidstone Crown Court, and pleaded guilty. He has been sentenced to 13 years and three months in prison. ‘This was a frenzied assault which was also wholly unprovoked. Butcher had every intention of killing a woman, simply because he harboured resentment, over some trivial matters at the home. Had it not been for the brave intervention of a man who witnessed the attack, I have no doubt Butcher’s actions would have had fatal consequences.’ ‘The victim has undergone an extremely traumatic and life-changing experience which will no doubt continue to have long-term physical and mental scars. Butcher has shown callous disregard for the trauma and distress he has caused, not only to the victim, but to the many elderly and vulnerable people, who were within a short distance of Butcher as the attack was taking place. He has now rightly been sentenced to a substantial prison sentence
