Knife death accused said voices urged him to kill

A TEENAGER accused of murdering a 21-year-old man in a city centre street told a psychiatrist that voices urged him to kill, a court has heard.

Tianhui Zhan, 19, also known as Jeff, told Dr Ian Dewar that he saw blood everywhere and believed that Michael Davis, 21, was going to attack him.

He denies murdering Mr Davis in West Campbell Street, Glasgow, on 13 October last year and has lodged a special defence of insanity.

The court has heard Zhan killed Mr Davis, a cleaner, by stabbing him three times. The jury has to decide whether Zhan deliberately targeted and killed Mr Davis or if he was insane at the time.

At the High Court in Glasgow yesterday Dr Dewar, 44, a consultant forensic psychiatrist at the State Hospital, told advocate depute Derek Ogg QC, prosecuting, that Zhan had spoken to him about the events leading to the death of Mr Davis.

In a report prepared for the court Dr Dewar said Zhan told him that voices were instructing him to go to Glasgow.

At the time Zhan was in London. He flew from his home in Canada in September last year to Barcelona and then went on to Hamburg before heading to the UK.

Zhan claimed the voices also told him: "You have to buy knives to protect yourself."

He said he also headed to Glasgow as he could get a flight home to Canada from there.

Zhan claimed that when he arrived in Glasgow he saw blood everywhere.

Dr Dewar's report added: "He started seeing blood over the faces of people and was convinced they were zombies.

"He said he bought a knife specifically for his own protection although he had never carried a weapon in the past."

The trial continues.