A man who reportedly slashed a woman’s throat from “ear to ear” following the claim that he heard voices of Metallica members James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich has been found not guilty due to mental incompetence.
Jai Penning, a 27-year-old from Adelaide attacked a woman at the Parabanks Shopping Centre in Salsbury, South Australia, reportedly slashing her throat “ear to ear” following psychosis, and has now been found not guilty due to mental incompetence, according to ABC.
The attack, which happened in July of 2018, stemmed from Penning’s treatment-resistant schizophrenia, resulting in him suffering from psychosis, amongst having ecstasy, cocaine, and amphetamines in his system.
Supreme Court Justice Sam Doyle noted that Penning was suffering from long-standing hallucinations which produced voices that he thought came from “members of heavy metal band Metallica, particularly the lead singer James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and also from the devil.”
Doyle continued by stating that “according to Mr Penning, he gradually became overwhelmed by these voices. They persuaded him to take his own life but before doing so, they instead encouraged or drove him to carry out the attack he did. The place and victim of the attack were essentially random.”
Following a recount of the attack which included an “ear-to-ear laceration” on the victims neck, the court found Penning not guilty, due to mental incompetence.
“On the prosecution case, he said words to the effect, ‘are you going to call security’ and revealed he was holding a 30-centimetre kitchen knife, and the victim saying, ‘no, no, no’ and attempting to back away.”
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Following attacking her with a knife, he then “inflicted further wounds to her face and stabbing her in the back.”
“Significantly, while holding her head back to expose her throat, he used the knife to make a deep cut across her neck. It was described in the medical evidence as an ‘ear-to-ear laceration of her neck’.”
Penning, is now held at James Nash House, a secure mental health facility, where Justice Doyle may limit his term at a later date, however the court will impose that Penning is to have mental health supervision.
