A SCHIZOPHRENIC who stabbed a man to death in Poundland rehearsed his killing just days before – but health professionals did not inform police.

Trevor Joyce walked into the Abingdon shop on December 7, 2015, took a knife from the shelf, tore open the packaging and fatally stabbed antiques dealer Justin Skrebowski.

At 61-year-old Mr Skrebowski’s inquest today [Tuesday], it emerged Joyce had done almost exactly the same thing four days prior, but his health team failed to tell police.

Oxford Coroner’s Court heard he took a knife from the same shop on December 3 with the intention of stabbing someone, but suppressed his urge and slashed his own finger instead.

Immediately afterwards, he attended a scheduled interview in Abingdon with specialist doctor and psychiatrist Toby O’Hanlon, to whom he confided what he had done.

Speaking to the court today, Dr O’Hanlon said: “He said he felt customers were making fun of him and he thought about stabbing them, but couldn’t go through with it.”

But Dr O’Hanlon said Joyce did not seem to pose an ‘immediate risk to himself or others’ and he did not think it warranted breaking confidentiality by telling police.

He admitted to the court he likely would have done so, had he have had time to read Joyce’s full case history before their meeting, which was hastily-arranged.

By the end of their short meeting, he said Joyce was ‘absolutely clear’ in reassuring him he no longer wanted to stab people.

Dr O’Hanlon said: “At the time, I went home thinking it had been resolved and I wasn’t worried.

“If I’d have seen something that disturbed me, I would have taken action.”

He said he was ‘shocked’ by the death of Mr Skrebowski days later. The father-of-two lived in Cutteslowe with his wife and their young twins.

The court also heard that by entering Poundland on December 3, Joyce was in breach of bail conditions, which banned him from Abingdon town centre.

He had been arrested, tagged and bailed after smashing a police car window in November, but Dr O’Hanlon said he did not realise Joyce had breached bail and he likely would have told police if he had known.

Drug addict Joyce, formerly of Franklyn Close in Abingdon, is serving a life sentence for manslaughter.

The court heard how the paranoid schizophrenic, whose symptoms worsened with drug and alcohol abuse, would hear voices telling him to stab himself and others.

He had been arrested at least four times in the months running up to his killing.

His community healthcare team had involved police when he admitted sending his neighbour death threats.

Sean Horstead, representing Mr Skrebowski’s family in court, said Joyce’s case demanded joined-up thinking from authorities.

He told the court: “This is a case that screamed out for police to be included in the multidisciplinary team trying to manage Joyce.

“This very sick man was a clear and obvious risk to the safety of the public.

“Police were unaware he had breached his bail and taken a knife from the shelf and cut himself.”

Community psychiatric nurse Rebecca James, Joyce’s care coordinator at the time, admitted to the court: “In hindsight, we could have had a better link-up with police.”

The inquest continues.