Christopher Gibson, 44, stabbed a stranger in the back in a convenience store after saying hello to him on the street. The attack occurred on March 8 this year in Seaforth, Liverpool, and Gibson was handed a hospital order at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday.
Attack in convenience store
Rory Murphy was walking past a gym on Seaforth Road when Gibson passed him and said hello. Murphy, who did not know Gibson, replied and continued walking. Gibson then followed him, staring at him. When Murphy entered a Go Local Extra store, JD Convenience, CCTV showed Gibson attacking him with a "large purple kitchen knife."
Gibson left the scene on foot. Murphy suffered an injury to the rear of his left shoulder and required several days off work. He also experienced "increased anxiety and increased distrust of others" and difficulty sleeping.
Background and sentencing
Police found Gibson in possession of the weapon and arrested him. Gibson had been the victim of a separate assault earlier that day, but Murphy had no link to that attack. Gibson has 11 previous convictions for 17 offences, including a suspended sentence for sexual assault in November 2025, which he is appealing. He has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia since 2004 and reported auditory hallucinations after the stabbing.
The court heard Gibson has a "history of accessing extreme online content" and had expressed "support for terrorist acts." No significant improvement was noted during four months of treatment at Rowan View Hospital, where he made "continual denials that he suffers from a mental illness."
Carmel Wilde, defending, said Gibson was "very sorry for his offending" and that he was not medicated when he came out of prison. She noted he has been cooperating and that his condition has improved.
Gibson admitted attempted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article. He was given a section 37/41 hospital order, meaning he will not be discharged until deemed safe by the Ministry of Justice.
Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: "Had the blow landed a little bit further away in one direction or another, the consequences could have been much worse." He noted the knife had a six-inch blade and that Gibson had expressed an intention to stab Murphy in the neck, though he did not.
