Soldier in cannabis frenzy killed father of his best friend

13 April 2012

A soldier who killed a teacher in a cannabis-induced frenzy will be jailed today.

Lance Corporal Laurie Draper, 31, hacked his best friend's father to death with garden shears after smoking the drug.

Medical tests found he was suffering from "cannabis induced delusions" when he attacked 53-year-old Paul Butterworth at his home in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.

It had been a "nice friendly evening" until Draper smoked a joint after dinner. It sparked a manic reaction known as hypomania - a condition which causes hyperactivity and an inflated sense of power.

He admitted the manslaughter of Mr Butterworth and assaulting Mr Butterworth's son Ashley, 33, at their home in March. He will be sentenced at St Albans Crown Court.

The case comes amid controversy over the downgrading of cannabis from a class B drug to a class C.

A Hackney pastor has launched a landmark legal challenge to overturn the "softly, softly" approach by police. The Rev George Hargreaves has been given £30,000 by a secret sponsor to fund his attempt to reverse police guidelines on possession of the drug.

Mr Hargreaves's bid for a judicial review comes after the murder of Steven Nyembo-Ya-Muteba, attacked by a gang who neighbours said had been smoking "skunk", a super-strength variety of cannabis.

His wife Veronique, 29, and two young daughters led a memorial service through the streets of Hackney yesterday, a week after the 40-year-old's death.

Draper, who served in Iraq, was in the Royal Logistic Corps, based in Colchester. He was in the process of leaving the Army when the killing happened. The court heard it was the first time Draper had used cannabis for several years and that he had grown it at home.

A source close to the case said: "Draper had been displaying bizarre behaviour for a couple of months but clearly cannabis tipped the scales. It was a perfectly nice friendly evening but suddenly, after smoking the cannabis, he just flipped.

"He thought he was on fire, the house was on fire, and that Paul and Ashley were trying to attack him. He went into the kitchen and doused it with water, then stripped his clothes off and attacked Paul. He hacked him to death with a pair of long-handled shears, tree croppers, hitting him about 50 times in the head."

Mr Butterworth had worked at Sheredes School, a mixed comprehensive in Hoddesdon, for 18 years and had dedicated his life to teaching and students.

Prosecutors accepted Draper's not guilty plea to murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Mr Hargreaves's court bid is the first time the police interpretation of Government drug policy has been challenged.

After the downgrading of cannabis, the Association of Chief Police Officers issued a policy in 2003 advising officers in most cases to issue a warning and confiscate the drug.

The downgrading coincided with a boom in the use of skunk.

It is feared it can lead to psychosis and is fuelling a rise in violent crime. The association has begun a review of the guidelines.

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