Man with schizophrenia who killed British father-of-two in Australia declared unfit for trial
A man with schizophrenia, David Summers-Smith, has been declared unfit for trial for the 2024 stabbing death of British father-of-two Royce Mallett in Albury, Australia. The Supreme Court found that Summers-Smith committed the murder but was mentally impaired and unable to understand the wrongfulness of his actions. He will be held indefinitely in a mental health facility, with his condition subject to ongoing review. Mallett’s family expressed profound grief over the loss, highlighting the lasting emotional and financial impact.
- ▪Royce Mallett, a 30-year-old British man from County Durham, was fatally stabbed in July 2024 while sitting in a car outside the Hume Inn Motel in Albury, New South Wales.
- ▪David Summers-Smith, the accused, has schizophrenia and was experiencing psychosis at the time of the attack.
- ▪Supreme Court Justice Dina Yehia ruled that Summers-Smith could not be held criminally responsible due to mental impairment.
- ▪Summers-Smith was ordered to be detained indefinitely in a mental health facility and will be monitored by the Mental Health Review Tribunal.
- ▪Mallett’s partner and father described lasting emotional trauma and loss in victim impact statements presented to the court.
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NewsUKCrimeMan with schizophrenia who killed British father-of-two in Australia declared unfit for trialBritish father-of-two Royce Mallett died after being stabbed in the chest while visiting an Australian town in July 2024John Besley Tuesday 28 April 2026 08:23 BSTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":false,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2966171","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/schizophrenia-david-summers-smith-royce-mallett-australia-b2966171.html","title":"Man who killed British father in Australia declared unfit for trial"}}Royce Mallett (pictured) was killed in July 2024 (Facebook)For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_Breaking_Newsletter","regTitle":"Breaking News","subscriptionGroup":"breaking_news","subscriptionGroupId":"ea81aa66-1d12-4313-9b4e-6f20b0117b8f","type":"breaking_news","pathPrefix":["/news/uk/crime","/news/world","/topic/race","/topic/racism","/topic/race-and-ethnicity","/topic/diversity","/topic/ethnic-minorities","/topic/muslim","/topic/black","/topic/black-british","/topic/african-americans","/topic/systemic-racism","/topic/bame"],"title":"For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails","mobileTitle":"Sign up to our free breaking news emails","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/breakingNews1_1.png","label":"I <strong>would<\/strong> like to receive breaking news alerts by email<\/span>","newsletterKey":"receiveIndyBreakingNews","regSourceSection":"Crime","regSourceMethod":"NSCs"},"isClimate":false}A man who killed a British father-of-two in an Australian town has been declared mentally unfit to stand trial.Court documents state Royce Mallett from County Durham, who was 30 years old at the time, was visiting the town of Albury in New South Wales in July 2024 when he was stabbed once in the chest while sitting in the driver’s seat of a car parked outside the Hume Inn Motel.His attacker, David Summers-Smith, has schizophrenia and was displaying symptoms of psychosis at the time of the 2024 incident.He subsequently pleaded not guilty to the murder due to mental impairment.On Tuesday, Supreme Court justice Dina Yehia, determined Summers-Smith did commit the murder but could not be held criminally responsible.She ordered Summers-Smith to be held indefinitely in a mental health facility.In her consideration, Justice Yehia said: "I am satisfied that the accused has established on a balance of probabilities that at the time he stabbed the deceased, he was suffering from a mental health impairment that had the effect that he did not know that the act was wrong: that is, he could not reason with a moderate degree of sense and composure about whether the act, as perceived by reasonable people, was wrong."In a victim impact statement read out by Justice Yehia, Mr Mallett’s partner Caitlin O’Keeffe said his death has caused immense emotional and financial strain for the family."It affects…
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