A schizophrenic who tried to kill the former Beatle, George Harrison, on December 30th last year because he believed the musician was a witch, has been detained indefinitely in a secure hospital after a jury decided he was insane.
Michael Abram stabbed Harrison at least 10 times and battered him with a table lamp.
After a jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity of attempting to murder Harrison and his wife Olivia, Abram's solicitor read out a letter of apology by the defendant.
"I'm writing this letter in the hope that it would be passed on to Mr and Mrs Harrison. I wished to say how sorry I am for the alarm, distress and injury that I have caused when I was ill. I have seen many doctors prior to the attack and I was never told that I was suffering with schizophrenia or any mental illness," the letter said.
"I thought my delusions were real and everything that I was experiencing was some kind of witchcraft. I know that Mr and Mrs Harrison fought for their lives on December 30th, 1999, and that they must have been terrified by the lunatic in their house."
Earlier, Oxford Crown Court heard that Abram (34), became convinced that he was possessed by Harrison, who he thought was a witch, and was on a mission ordained by God to kill him.
He staked out Harrison's 34acre estate in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, for two weeks before breaking in. Armed with a knife, an electrical flex, a table lamp and a pole, Abram rampaged through the millionaire's mansion.
The court was told how he stabbed the guitarist at least 10 times before battering him with the table lamp and threatening to kill Ms Harrison (52). Ms Harrison hit their attacker with a brass poker and then a table lamp.
Mr Justice Astill ordered Abram, of Huyton, Merseyside, be sent to the hospital "without time restriction".