VIDEO: Tears as killer who beheaded grandmother is locked away
The family of a "mild and trusting" great grandmother who was beheaded in her back garden wept today as her killer was locked up indefinitely in a secure mental hospital.
Nicholas Salvador carried out the ferocious machete attack on 82-year-old Palmira Silva after beheading two cats during a 45-minute rampage through neighbouring back gardens.
The 6ft, heavily built 25-year-old believed he was killing "demons" when he ran amok with a knife and broom handle, tearing down fences and kicking down neighbours' doors in Edmonton, north London, on the afternoon of September 4 last year, the Old Bailey heard.
CCTV footage taken from a police helicopter overhead showed cafe owner Mrs Silva wearing an apron as she approached the bare-chested Salvador over her garden wall.
After a brief exchange, Salvador vaulted into her flowerbed and stabbed her repeatedly before cutting her head off and holding it aloft, the court heard.
The final moments of Mrs Silva's life and the immediate aftermath were edited out of a harrowing 14-minute film clip shown to the jury in front of members of the victim's family.
Afterwards, children playing nearby had to be hastily taken out of harm's way as Salvador strode through backyards towards them, brandishing his weapons.
On the CCTV, an officer could be heard to say: "He's agitated and lethal ... he needs taking out."
An officer climbed on to a flat roof to warn the youngsters of the danger before they were rescued from a front window.
Salvador was eventually cornered in the front room of a neighbour's house and Tasered six times during a violent and chaotic struggle in which one police officer was injured.
Afterwards, he showed signs of mental illness, repeating phrases like "red is the colour" and "I am the king" over and over again.
In his demented state, he believed Mrs Silva was a supernatural entity - either Adolf Hitler back from the dead or a demon who had taken the form of an old woman, jurors were told.
The jury took 40 minutes to find Salvador not guilty of murder by reason of insanity after two psychiatrists agreed he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.
Mrs Silva's family wiped away tears and hugged each other as the Recorder of London, Nicholas Hilliard QC, handed Salvador a hospital order for his continued detention in Broadmoor.
The judge told him: "It is established beyond any doubt that you killed Mrs Silva in an attack of extraordinary brutality and ferocity.
"You thought you were encountering some demonic force which had taken on a human form. You could not have been more deluded.
"Nobody who saw it could forget the mild and trusting way Mrs Silva approached you over the wall while you were brandishing a knife."
He added: "This gentle, intelligent 82-year-old lady should have been able to live her life in peace and with security, proud in the achievements of others, but that was not to be."
The judge also commended all the police officers who worked to protect the public when they captured and restrained Salvador.
In particular, Pc Steven Robertson was praised for climbing on to a roof to help bring two children to safety.
After the verdict, Mrs Silva's daughter, Celestina Muis, said in a statement that her mother's death had devastated the whole family, adding that they "no longer feel safe".
She said: "Palmira had a full life, loving her children, grandchildren and great-grandchild. She was very much the glue that held us all together. Our lives have been torn apart knowing what happened to my mother."
Nikki Wright also told of the hurt she felt, particularly knowing that her 10-month-old daughter would grow up without knowing her great-grandmother.
Another granddaughter, Christina Silva, said: "Every day I wake up and replay the attack on my grandmother in my head. Since the attack I have completely changed from the person I used to be. The thought of being alone in the house terrifies me."
Earlier, prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC told the jury there was no dispute that Salvador was mentally unwell when he attacked Mrs Silva.
The skunk cannabis smoker had become obsessed with shapeshifters and lost his job in billboard advertising three days before the killing over concern about his behaviour.
At the time of the killing he had been staying with friends three doors away from Mrs Silva in Nightingale Road.
Mr Rees said: "This was, was it not, a deeply upsetting and horrific incident. Mrs Silva was not targeted because of who she was. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"But for the efforts of the police and a measure of luck other people were not seriously injured or worse.
Bernard Richmond QC, for Salvador, said: "It is one of the bitter ironies of this case that Mrs Silva was probably the least evil person you could think of."
A police officer described his "utter horror" as Nicholas Salvador came within metres of two playing children during his murderous rampage through back gardens.
Enfield-based Inspector Doug Skinner was first on the scene, and was among the officers who put their lives on the line to rescue the youngsters and capture Salvador.
He said: "I knew that Salvador was armed, had already killed and that many people were in immediate danger. Nothing can fully prepare you for that type of call or the scene we encountered.
"I immediately requested an unmarked car to move in close and track his movements. We decided we would have to remove residents before Salvador killed someone else.
"The helicopter constantly tracked Salvador jumping fences and they'd also spotted children playing in nearby gardens. We genuinely thought he would kill those children and we were filled with utter terror.
"We pulled up outside of an address close to the victim's and smashed through the double glazed windows calling out to residents.
"I then saw Salvador, stripped to the waist and standing in someone's front room, armed with a blood-stained machete. I engaged him in conversation as he made stabbing motions towards me.
"I knew I had to buy enough time for the rest of the team to get residents, especially those kids, out of the area. Officers smashed through windows to pull them all to safety before Salvador could be contained in another house.
"All units acted with extreme courage. Armed officers, unarmed officers and rookies - all working together, putting their own lives at risk to save others."
Several officers suffered serious injuries in the struggle to subdue Salvador, with one firearms officer suffering a large bite to his lower leg.
Commander Simon Letchford said: "This was a horrendous and vicious attack which robbed a family of a much-loved vibrant mother and grandmother.
"On behalf of the Met I would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family of Palmira Silva.
"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the officers who dealt with the incident and faced a truly shocking scene.
"I managed to personally speak to those who initially responded and faced a fast-moving and difficult situation. The officers did everything they could to keep people safe and clear the area. They undoubtedly put their own lives on the line to ensure there was no further loss of life that day.
"I have nothing but praise and admiration for them and we should all be grateful that we have officers who will risk their own lives to keep others safe."
