Sword attack man unfit to stand trial

A man accused of a Samurai sword attack which left a Liberal Democrat party worker dead and an MP seriously injured has been declared unfit to stand trial.

A jury returned the verdict after a seven-day hearing into Robert Ashman's state of mind at Bristol Crown Court.

Ashman, 50, of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was charged with murdering 39-year-old Andrew Pennington and attempting to murder the town's MP Nigel Jones.

The jury heard that Ashman was suffering from paranoid delusions and would not be able to fully understand proceedings in the court.

Ashman sat quietly in the dock as the verdict was read out wearing a grey double breasted suit, a white shirt and a lemon tie.