Stranger who brutally stabbed man to death with scissors near Edinburgh Castle will need Ministerial clearance before psychiatric hospital release

George McAdam launched a brutal attack on university IT worker Paul Smith as the victim spoke on the phone to his mother during his lunch break.

The victim's mother Margaret heard "a horrific scream" and her son saying: "Help me, help me, need police, need police."

She told her husband to contact the police and he made a 999 call as their son tried to fend off his attacker.

Edinburgh IT worker Paul Smith (top right) was walking back to work from his lunch break when he was stabbed to death by George McAdam.

McAdam began stabbing the victim who fell to the ground. He dragged him down a steep embankment with one hand on the front of his jacket while he continued to stab him with the other.

What will happen to killer who stabbed Edinburgh IT worker Paul Smith to death i...

Advocate depute Ashley Edwards QC said: "The accused then knelt beside the deceased on the ground stabbing him multiple times on the body and neck. The deceased was heard to be repeatedly shouting for help."

McAdam appeared to be oblivious to witnesses who saw the assault at Princes Street Gardens in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle and shouted at him and pleaded with him to stop.

IT worker Paul Smith was on the phone to his mum at the time of the attack. Pic: Police Scotland

McAdam, 41, was originally charged with murdering Mr Smith but was formally acquitted of the offence at an earlier hearing as he lacked criminal responsibility because of a mental disorder.

Mr Smith, 28, who lived with his parents in Balerno, sustained 32 stab wounds from a pair of scissors in the attack and the cause of death was given as stab wounds to the neck.

His attacker was found to have paranoid schizophrenia and is in the State Hospital at Carstairs.

Restriction order

A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh today made a compulsion order authorising his detention in the high security hospital and a restriction order - the latter requires his case to be referred to Scottish Ministers before he can be released.

Lord Turnbull was told by a consultant forensic psychiatrist, who is the responsible medical officer for McAdam, that he recommended the restriction order to go along with the compulsion order.

Defence counsel John Scullion QC said he had no submissions to make over the disposal in the case.

The court heard that McAdam, who was born in Washington in the North east of England, was sleeping rough in Edinburgh before his arrest. He had previously been homeless in Glasgow and on Skye.

He was released from Saughton prison a fortnight before the fatal attack and has previous convictions for assault and knife possession.

Mr Smith worked for Edinburgh University as a service operations coordinator in its IT department based at premises in the city's Lady Lawson Street.

He was walking on his own as he returned to his workplace chatting on the phone with his mother when he was approached by McAdam.

After the attack McAdam washed his hands in a puddle at an entrance gate to the gardens.

'Bear hugged' to the ground

He was followed by a number of witnesses and one of them, civil engineer Raynold Richards "bear hugged" him from behind at a nearby car park and put him to the ground. He was restrained until police arrived and blood stained scissors were taken from him.

McAdam was asked to give his name and date of birth by officers and replied: "I don't know what's my name. I'm not here, I'm in cardiac arrest."

When he was taken to a police station he claimed his name was 'Jack' and he was from America.

He went on to ask: "How is that guy anyway? I tried to help him and got chased."

He said: "I'm having a really bad day. I tried to save someone's life and everyone's calling me a murderer."

McAdam said: "Viruses in your blood can affect behaviour, it can cause sociopathic behaviour. In serious incident like murder it is worth the police knowing this."

The court heard that the injuries inflicted on Mr Smith would not have been survivable even with medical intervention.

McAdam's blood was tested for the presence of drugs but the results were negative.