Paedophile who cut friend's throat jailed for life

A paedophile who cut his friend’s throat and tasted his blood was jailed for life today after begging a judge to throw away the key.

Matthew Williams, 32, said he slashed David Potter’s throat so he could go to jail because he had not been punished enough for abusing a girl.

And his barrister, Jerry Hayes, told Old Bailey Judge Stephen Kramer that his instructions were to ask to be sent to prison “for a long time”.

“If he comes out and does not feel he has been punished enough, he will come out and offend again.”

But Judge Kramer said he had decided to give Williams a life term because of reports which said he had a personality disorder and was a high risk to the public.

Williams had told police he was calm when he cut the 40-year-old’s throat. “You said you tasted and played with his blood,” added the judge.

Williams pleaded guilty to the attempted murder on Mr Potter in September, last year, at the south London hostel where they were living.

He had been jailed for a year in 2004 for an indecent assault on a 13-year-old girl.

Philip Bennett, prosecuting, said the two men had been drinking when Mr Potter asked him to cut his throat because he wanted to die.

Williams was seen sharpening a kitchen knife and took Mr Potter to the garden.

Police and an ambulance were called. Fortunately the injury was not deep and had not caused permanent injury.