A son who tried to murder his parents and elderly grandmother in a 'frenzied attack' at their £700,000 family home was today detained in a psychiatric hospital after a court heard his victims 'continue to love him'.
Jonathan Keal told his mother 'this isn't me, it's the devil' as he tried to stab her with a pair of scissors and repeatedly apologised as he used a cricket bat, dumbbells and knives against his family in a horrifying series of attacks in September 2018.
The 37 year old tried to kill his father Robert, 64, as he slept in a chair, stabbing him while shouting 'I'm sorry dad, I'm sorry', and broke into his 65 year old mother Lynda's locked bedroom to stab her.
He also attacked his 90-year-old grandmother Marjorie Blacker in her bed, leaving blood spattered over the ceiling and walls.
All three of his victims suffered stab wounds but survived the attacks in their Sandleheath home in New Forest. However, Ms Blacker has since passed away.
Keal denied three charges of attempted murder and three charges of wounding with intent, claiming he was insane at the time, but was found guilty of attempted murder following a trial in June at Salisbury Crown Court, Wilts.
Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Ragini Heeramun today told Winchester Crown Court, Hants, that Keal suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and the 'classic symptoms of mental illness'.
Keal is currently being held at secure psychiatric hospital Fromeside in Bristol.
The £700,000 home on Mayfield Road, Sandleheath, belonging to Jonathan Keal's parents. Keal attacked his mother, Lynda, father Robert and 90-year-old grandmother Marjorie at the home with scissors, dumbbells and a cricket bat while apologising and saying 'it's not me, it's the devil' in 2018
Dr Heeramun said: 'He presents with paranoid beliefs that aren't true. He believes that there are demons.
'[He believes] he has to do acts to get rid of the demon, for example he has to starve himself.
'He hears voices and gets messages. These messages come from books or through TV or even people.
'It's a long term condition that will require assistance. In Mr Keal's case, I believe we are talking years.'
She recommended to the court that Keal serve a sentence in a psychiatric hospital instead of prison and be placed under a Section 41 order of the Mental Health Act.
Meanwhile, Keely Harvey, defending, argued that his culpability for his crimes was lower because he was not in control of himself.
She said: 'What [his family] saw was not really their son, it was like he had been possessed.
'[The court should consider] the command hallucinations he was having at the time, willing him to do things, and his ability to be able to fight that back.
'He had little to no control over that... Here we are with someone who needs help more than punishment.'
Upon hearing the consulting psychiatrist's recommendation, The Honourable Mr Justice Neil Garnham detained Keal under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act and added the restrictions under Section 41.
He said: 'I have read the victim impact statements and they are profoundly moving.
'Your aunt speaks of the harm you caused your grandmother and the damage she suffered to her quality of life for the last few months of her life.
'Your parents spoke of their
