Family of carer killed by resident call for female “Carstairs” in Scotland

The family of a carer stabbed to death by a disturbed resident have called for a female state hospital in Scotland.

Care worker Michele Rutherford, 54, was stabbed to death at the Craighall Court care facility, in Stirling, on March 7 by resident Kellyanne McNaughton. The knife attack followed failed attempts to get the 33-year-old psychiatric help.

Her grieving daughter Amy and husband William say they feel “angry and let down” that there is no equivalent to the State Hospital at Carstairs for women, leading to lengthy delays throughout court proceedings.

Amy said the family had raised the issue with MSPs and ministers but say the response they received was “entirely unsatisfactory”.

She told STV News: “We can’t be the first family this has happened to and she (McNaughton) can’t be the first woman in Scotland with mental health issues to commit such a crime.

“The rest of our lives are going to be altered by this. If we can take away the risk for other people – and there is a correct facility – that will give us peace.”

The State Hospital at Carstairs, in South Lanarkshire, is the only “high risk” facility in the country and is only for men. It emerged in court there had been failed discussions about transferring McNaughton to two clinics, and a secure hospital in England, delaying her sentencing by six months.

Earlier this month it was decided McNaughton will be treated at the “medium risk” Priory Hospital Llanarth Court in Monmouthshire, Wales.

“It just seems like someone has missed the mark. My mum was just the best person. She loved her job and she was always going above and beyond for her work.”

The State Hospital at Carstairs, in South Lanarkshire, is the only “high risk” facility in the country and is only for men. It emerged in court there had been failed discussions about transferring McNaughton to two clinics, and a secure hospital in England.

Earlier this month it was decided McNaughton will be treated at the “medium risk” Priory Hospital Llanarth Court in Monmouthshire, Wales.

Michele’s husband, William, said: “It’s not come to an end. I still feel the person has not been put in the right place because the right place doesn’t exist in Scotland.

“We need a high-risk facility for women in this country. If somebody does something and the criteria says they need to go into a high risk facility then that’s where they need to go.

“They are going to get looked after better and the staff are going to be as safe.

In January, McNaughton pleaded guilty to culpable homicide following the attack at the supported accommodation, which is run by The Richmond Fellowship charity.

She had originally faced a charge of murder, but prosecutors accepted her guilty plea to the reduced charge on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Two other carers, Moira McMillan and Victoria Hendry, were also stabbed before they persuaded 33-year-old McNaughton to release the knife. McNaughton had a low IQ and was diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder.

She had spoken of having “trances” which made her “unaware of what was happening” and “only becoming aware at the end of it”. McNaughton, who has no previous history of violence, is to be detained without limit of time.

The Scottish Government has written to Ms Rutherford’s family to say there have a number of meetings with stakeholders to consider the challenges around prison to hospital transfers and how a high secure service for females could be provided in Scotland.

Justice secretary Angela Constance said: “Unfortunately there were a number of complex issues that had to be resolved as this progressed through the court system that we are committed to addressing.

She said the Scottish Government is “working with the NHS and the justice system to ensure measures are put in place to prevent this from happening again” and that “the NHS and the Scottish Prison Service are working” together to make improvements.

A spokesperson said: “The State Hospital is working closely with the Scottish Government in relation to the issue of female forensic high security service provision within Scotland.”

A spokesperson for the Mental Welfare Commission said it is “supportive of ensuring that the provision of specialist, needs-led, high secure facilities is available for women in Scotland who require this level of care” and supports “any moves towards” it.

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