Man convicted of murder bid broke patient's leg at Roseberry Park

Lee Wren repeatedly punched his victim when he confronted him in the corridor of the specialist hospital unit.

The 47-year-old left his victim with a broken leg after he viciously knocked him to the ground.

Tabitha Buck, prosecuting, said Wren attacked the man after accusing him of being a double-killer when their paths crossed in the mental health unit.

She said Wren has previous convictions for violence and is currently subject to a mental health court order.

Lee Wren

Wren, who was a resident in Roseberry Park, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent following the assault on March 12, last year.

Michele Turner, mitigating, said her client and victim were both residents of the mental health unit at the time of the assault.

She said: “Mr Wren, since his move to a different unit, he has been totally compliant with treatment and moved to a different hospital.”

Ms Turner said her client hopes to be moved to a different mental health unit in the North East.

Recorder Paul Reid told Wren that he would be made the subject of an indefinite hospital order.

“You have a terrible record for offences of violence which is what lead to you being where you are now, receiving mental health treatment and rightly so,” he said.

“This was a totally unprovoked and violent attack on him. He was waiting in a corridor where he was living, you walked into the corridor and walked past and made comments to him, rightly or wrongly, that he was in for double murder.

“He ignored that but you attacked him. You swung at him, cornered him, punched him several times to the head and body.

See more court stories from The Northern Echo by clicking here

• Vulnerable Darlington man hid in Tesco store while armed with five-inch knife

• Banned Ferryhill driver caught on petrol station CCTV at wheel of his BMW

• Three people, including a Big Brother contestant, admit role in pub arson attack

Unlock unlimited local news subscribe today and save on an annual subscription. Enjoy access to our ad-free mobile and tablet app, as well as the digital edition of the paper. Don’t miss out – subscribe now! Click here for details.

“He fell to the floor and he had a terrible pain below his knee as he had sustained a fracture of his tibia.”

The judge added: “You said you had heard voices telling you to ‘do him now’ – I have read the psychiatric reports and they say that the appropriate course for the court to take is to make a new hospital order.”

In 2019, Wren, who has previously served a ten-year sentence for attempted murder, received the life term as a result of a second serious violent offence, committed during a dispute over a woman.

He carried out a “prolonged and repeated” knife attack on a fellow resident in supported accommodation in Durham.