A Slovakian joiner who ate a pensioner's thumb during a deluded and frenzied bite attack was yesterday found not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity.
Jurors at Hereford Crown Court took 90 minutes to clear Jan Ometak, of Princess Avenue, Hereford, of trying to kill Douglas Morgan.
Ometak, aged 27, made animal noises as he bit off and swallowed the tip of Mr Morgan's thumb at the 75-year-old's home in Lyonshall, Herefordshire, last July.
The jury was told the defendant also chewed into other parts of his victim's body during the bizarre onslaught, motivated by a belief he was in mortal combat with a supernatural beast.
Peter Cooke, defending, had urged the jury to rule Ometak, who suffers from a schizophrenia-like condition, was insane at the time of the offence.
Judge David Matthews sentenced the Jehovah's Witness to a hospital order and ordered that he should not be released until a mental health tribunal or the Home Secretary ruled it was safe to do so.
The judge praised the bravery of the officer who managed to subdue and handcuff Ometak and told the court he was humbled by Mr Morgan's victim impact statement.
In the statement, part of which was read to the court by prosecutor Andrew Lockhart, Mr Morgan said his physical injuries were a constant reminder of the terrible events.
But although he expressed concern Ometak may one day be freed, Mr Morgan said: "I hope he makes a full recovery and goes on to live a good and honest life."
Judge Matthews described the statement as "inspirational", adding: "In my judgment Mr Morgan deserves public commendation not only for his bravery but also for his complete absence of self-pity."
The intervention of Pc Paul Norris, who overpowered the Slovakian using CS spray after arriving at Mr Morgan's home to hear what resembled a fox screaming and a dog gnawing a bone, was likely to have saved the homeowner's life, the judge added.
In his closing speech to the jury, Mr Cooke said psychiatrists acting for both the prosecution and defence had come to the conclusion his client was suffering from a mental illness.
