A PARANOID schizophrenic repeatedly stabbed his mother and step-father after he convinced himself he needed to kill them to prevent someone else being murdered.

Tom Owen was yesterday sent to Rampton high security hospital, in Nottinghamshire, for an indefinite period after he was declared fit to plead.

Last night, charity bosses called for better investment in mental health services, and Owen's parents described their son as "a tragedy waiting to happen".

Neil Davey QC, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court that Owen had significant contact with mental health services and was sometimes treated in hospital or detained in secure units.

On March 16, last year, Owen went to spend the night with his mother, Sheena, and step-father Joseph Foster, at their home in south Loftus, east Cleveland. He returned from a trip to the pub after half an hour and began to make up stories about attacking a man, being arrested and assaulting a police officer.

At 3am, Owen sneaked into his parents' bedroom and began the frenzied attack on 57-year-old Mr Foster, after he shouted: "Joe, Joe... I've got to do this, Joe."

After he was repeatedly stabbed, Mr Foster lay fighting for his life while his stepson knelt beside him and rubbed blood that had poured from wounds into his own cheeks.

Owen took hold of Mr Foster's arm and began sucking the wound saying: "We are vampires together", before he handed him the knife and demanded that he stab him.

Details of the case emerged after Owen admitted the attempted murder of Mr Foster and wounding his mother with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Mrs Foster, 46, woke and began screaming after her son started the attack on her husband, but as she tried to flee, she was cut with the 10in kitchen knife.

The court heard that she managed to escape and seek help from a neighbour. Owen told psychiatrists at Rampton that he believed an unknown girl was going to be murdered unless he harmed his mother and step-father.

Toby Hedworth QC, in mitigation, told the court: "When this man is well, the last people he would wish to harm in any way would be Mr Foster and his own mother.

"He thought doing this harm to his parents would effectively prevent harm being done to a young girl he believed to be somehow in jeopardy."

Mrs Foster said last night: "I just hope he now receives the care and treatment that he needs. If he had received better care, then perhaps this terrible situation could have been avoided.

"In my view, Tom was a tragedy waiting to happen.

"Lessons need to be learnt, particularly by medical professionals, who need to take the physical health needs of people with severe mental illness much more seriously, rather than viewing patients primarily in terms of their psychiatric diagnosis."

Jane Harris, head of campaigns at mental health charity Rethink, said: "This case demonstrates the need for yet more investment in mental health services so that people with severe mental illness can receive the support they need."