Mentally ill killer knifed pensioner to death after trying to stab child

A mentally ill killer who knifed a pensioner to death in her £1m apartment after trying to stab a four-year-old boy was sent to a psychiatric hospital indefinitely today (mon).

Bella Nicandro, 76, was found dying in her flat in the five storey Victorian townhouse in St Luke’s Road, Notting Hill, on 14 August, 2021.

Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, Ms Nicandro later succumbed to her injuries and pronounced dead at the scene.

Aaron Cook, 24, was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia exacerbated by the use of cannabis when he stabbed Ms Nicandro 59 times.

He had tried to stab a young child but was stopped by the youngster’s mother as his sister pleaded: ‘Don’t kill my brother’.

Cook had earlier sent a school friend a message on a video game platform saying ‘you should respect me cause you know I’m God, I’m about to go out there and rape and kill someone and no one can do a thing about it because I’m God b—h.’

Dr Bradley Hillier said Cook’s community mental health team had not taken his condition seriously, adding: ‘Sadly, this is a representation of how overstretched the mental health services are in the community right now.’

Prosecutor Anthony Orchard, KC, said: ‘On 14 November after 2pm a neighbour was returning home with her two young children.

‘As they came through the main door into the communal area the defendant came running downstairs and was shouting “don’t enter, don’t come in.”

‘He grabbed her four-year-old son and pointed a knife at the back of the four-year-old’s neck.

‘The defendant tried to stab her son. She managed to take the knife from him, but he manged to get it back.

‘Her daughter was saying “don’t kill my brother.” The young family was, not surprisingly, terrified.

‘The defendant let go of her son and the mother got them outside and ran off.

‘He was extremely agitated, covered in blood, threatening and throwing his arms in the air.

‘Members of the public restrained him on the ground and called the police.

‘Whilst restrained on the ground he said “did you like the way I killed her there, did you see the way I killed her there.”

‘Police entered forced entry into various flats. Just inside the door to Flat E they found Bella Nicandro.

‘She had suffered 59 stab wounds in total including five to the side of the neck. Some had passed through facial bones.

‘A tip of the blade was found in her hair.

‘The defendant was arrested and was behaving extremely aggressively.

‘He was taken to hospital for his injuries where he was verbally abusive to staff and police officers, claiming one was black and saying “bring me water, you’re a slave.”

‘He was rearrested for racially aggravated assault.

‘He said “I know I f–king killed her, I wanted to rape her but I didn’t.”

Ms Nicandro had lived at the flat for 30 years having moved to London with her daughter from the Philippines in the 1980s.

Her daughter Rushena Pineda said in a victim impact statement: ‘Bella Nicandro was my wonderful mum.

‘I’m an only child and had an extremely close relationship with my mum since my parents split up when I was baby.

‘We moved to London in the late 1980s because Mum wanted a better life for us.

‘She was happy with the area and she felt safe there.

‘She knew her neighbours and never had any problems with them.

‘It had been the most joyous time for our family because I had just got engaged. Then our world collapsed.

‘When my aunt told me she had been murdered I could not comprehend the situation.

‘When I saw my mum in the mortuary I didn’t recognise her past the facial injuries and swelling. When I realised it was her I thought how could this happen to my mum why in this way?

‘I have so much stress, guilt and pain knowing what happened to Mum, all the pain she must have felt lying on the floor on her own.

‘Was she calling my name? What must she have been thinking?

‘The day I tried on my wedding dress was emotional, I needed my mum with me to share the moment with me.

‘I was at a loss who should give me away as this role was reserved for my mum.’

The family sobbed in court as the sentence was delivered.

Dr Hillier found that Cook was suffering from underlying paranoid schizophrenia exacerbated by the use of cannabis.

He said: ‘In the absence of treatment or monitoring it was only a matter of time until some act of violence to himself or others was due to occur.

‘Following extensive prolonged treatment Cook is clearly unrecognisable to the person he was on that day.

‘His community mental health team had not taken his condition seriously.

‘If someone is presenting with psychotic beliefs and had previously had compulsory treatment, when they start talking about bizarre experiences and hallucinations that should be taken seriously.

‘Sadly in this case Mr Cook’s team in my view confused capacity with severe mental disorder and in my view Mr Cook should well have been under significant treatment by the time this occurred.

‘I don’t think Mr Cook can be held responsible for that aspect of his care and there will be no doubt be an inquiry into what happened here regarding this significant lack of treatment.

‘Sadly, this is a representation of how overstretched the mental health services are in the community right now.’

Cook was treated in hospital in summer 2020, but discharged and stopped taking his medication six months later.

He has A levels in maths, further maths and physics and studied computer science at university.

Cook, of St Luke’s Road, Notting Hill, denied murder but admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

He was detained in hospital indefinitely under section 41 of the Mental Health Act.
ENDS