A 67-year-old man has been convicted of attempted murder after stabbing four women in a Sainsbury's car park in Hampton, south-west London. Ethem Orhon was found guilty at Kingston Crown Court of two counts of attempted murder and two counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The attacks, which took place on 20 May, were described as random. Orhon told the court he felt humiliated after being arrested by police the previous day and said he acted as if hypnotised. He walked around the car park armed with a Leatherman knife, assaulting women who were shopping.
The victims, all aged between 53 and 71, suffered serious injuries. Suzanna Brand was stabbed 13 times from behind and left with two collapsed lungs. Jean Sullivan was stabbed in the back, and Charandasi Chandiramani was stabbed twice. Janet Morsy was hit in the arm and chest and begged Orhon not to hurt her.
Two schoolboys from Hampton School helped by warning passersby, distracting Orhon, and calling 999. Orhon had left Belgravia police station earlier that day after being charged with possessing a bladed article. He went home, picked up a spare knife, and began the attack at the nearby supermarket.
A forensic psychiatrist said Orhon suffers from paranoid psychosis, which can put a person out of touch with reality. Orhon, originally from Turkey and a retired odd-job man, said he had no friends and was not registered with a GP. He will be sentenced at a later date.
