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Killing of Jonathan Zito

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On 17 December 1992, Christopher Clunis stabbed Jonathan Zito to death at Finsbury Park station, London, England.[1][2]

Christopher Clunis

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Christopher Clunis was born on 18 May 1963 in Jamaica.[2] He was treated as an inpatient at Jamaica's Bellevue Hospital in 1986.[2] Soon thereafter Clunis moved to London, where from 1986 to 1992 he received psychiatric treatment at several hospitals.[2]

Killing

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At between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. on 17 December 1992, in Finsbury Park Underground station in North London, England, Clunis used a knife to stab 27-year-old Jonathan Zito, who was a stranger to Clunis, three times in the face.[1] Zito was taken to Whittington Hospital, where he died two hours later. The fatal wound pierced his right upper eyelid and brain.

Proceedings

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Clunis was arrested and taken to Holloway Road police station. At 3:45 p.m. on 18 December, he was charged with murder.[2] On 28 June 1993 at the Old Bailey, he admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.[2] He was ordered to be detained indefinitely in Rampton, a secure hospital in Nottingham.[1][2]

Reaction

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The killing received a great deal of coverage in the British mainstream media as well as in scholarly publications, including controversy in regard to the inadequate psychiatric healthcare given to Clunis, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "From monster to human being in 50 minutes". The Independent. 21 December 1995. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Clunis v Camden & Islington Health Authority
  3. ^ "Christopher Clunis Report: Schizophrenic made 'series of violent attacks'". The Independent. 25 February 1994. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  4. ^ Cooling, Nicholas J. (1 March 2002). "Lessons to be learnt from the Christopher Clunis story: a mental health perspective". Clinical Risk. 8 (2): 52–55. doi:10.1258/1356262021928869. ISSN 1356-2622. S2CID 144990828.
  5. ^ Coid, Jeremy W. (August 1994). "The Christopher Clunis enquiry". Psychiatric Bulletin. 18 (8): 449–452. doi:10.1192/pb.18.8.449. ISSN 0955-6036.
  6. ^ Hallam, Angela (1 January 2002). "Media influences on mental health policy: long-term effects of the Clunis and Silcock cases". International Review of Psychiatry. 14 (1): 26–33. doi:10.1080/09540260120114032. ISSN 0954-0261. S2CID 144506231.