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A 45-year-old woman, Ann Marie McEvoy from Church Walk, Colchester, has been indefinitely detained in a psychiatric hospital following an incident involving two 10-year-old boys. In November 2022, armed police intervened after a prolonged standoff at a flat in Friskney, gaining entry and discovering the injured children. McEvoy was tasered and taken into custody at the scene.
In July, McEvoy pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder. During the court proceedings at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday, she was given a hospital order under the Mental Health Act instead of a prison sentence. The two boys sustained injuries that required hospital treatment but were not life-threatening.
Court testimony revealed that McEvoy was seen wielding a large knife before her arrest. Forensic psychiatrist Dr Tim Rogers provided insight, explaining that McEvoy’s actions were tied to her schizoaffective disorder and emphasizing that the offences would likely not have occurred if she had been mentally well. Dr Rogers also noted that she would need ongoing treatment, potentially for the rest of her life. Judge Simon Hirst expressed his belief that a hospital order was the most appropriate way to protect the public and stated that the duration of her detention was uncertain.
Previously, McEvoy had been found unfit to stand trial and was subject to a hospital order in September 2024 after a jury determined she was responsible for the stabbings. Following an improvement in her mental health, the Crown Prosecution Service resumed criminal proceedings in March. Her lawyer, Mark Knowles, highlighted that McEvoy chose to plead guilty to spare the boys from the trauma of going through a trial. Victim impact statements revealed one boy suffered a punctured lung requiring surgery, while the other was only recently beginning to recover. In addition to the hospital order, a restraining order was imposed preventing McEvoy from contacting the children
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