BONNY EBERENDU: detained under the mental health act

A MAN who defecated on trains to "silence voices urging him to kill women and children" has been sentenced.

Bonny Eberendu, 38, smeared his excrement over carriages across the south east, including Orpington and Beckenham, to purge the desires, causing more than £50,000 damage to the rail network and major disruptions to passengers in his spree between March and October 2006.

The paranoid schizophrenic was arrested last October at Camberwell Green bus garage.

He was detained under the Mental Health Act at Southwark Crown Court on Monday.

Eberendu admitted six charges of criminal damage and asked for 29 others to be taken into consideration – four of which were in Welling charity shops.

He also admitted possessing a kitchen knife, which he said he had bought to attack someone with.

Peter Zinner, prosecuting, said Eberendu told officers that voices in his head were urging him to murder women and children by frantically stabbing them.

On five occasions he had been behind a woman with the intention of murdering her, but the defecation enabled him not act on the urges, he said.

Margaret McGowan-Smith, defending, said: “These offences were linked to his illness, which is what needs to be treated.”

Passing sentence, Judge Christopher Elwen said: “These offences were extremely unpleasant and indeed might well be described as revolting.”

Details of the order will be decided later.