A judge confessed to being ‘slightly stunned’ that no psychiatric unit bed could be found for a hammer rage vandal who thinks he’s a Kennedy.

Horrified, Recorder Samantha Presland told Reginald Moody’s barrister: “He’s not even got medication. That’s what’s shocking.”

Moody originally pleaded guilty in October last year to going at his landlord’s property in Crowmarsh Gifford with a hammer. They had allegedly turned off the electricity to his caravan in a dispute over unpaid rent.

A judge ordered psychiatric reports in December after the defendant claimed to be related to US political royalty the Kennedy family.

On Thursday (March 9), defence barrister Julian Lynch told the court that his instructing solicitors had obtained a psychiatric report that recommended 57-year-old Moody receive a hospital order.

“The difficulty will be identifying a bed in the hospital for him,” Mr Lynch said.

Being able to find a bed in an appropriate psychiatric unit is a pre-requisite for a judge imposing a hospital order rather than a term of imprisonment or a community order.

 A hospital order sees someone receive treatment at a mental health unit. Depending on the seriousness of their offending and the risk they pose to the public, in some circumstances they might only be released on the nod of a government minister.

Last year, it was reported that local bed shortages were resulting in some people being sent to mental health hospitals miles from home. It came a year after the NHS pledged to end the practice of ‘out of area placements’.

Told that there were difficulties finding a hospital bed for Moody, Recorder Presland said on Thursday: “Sorry, once a hospital order’s made – if a hospital order’s made – then they should identify a bed, because somebody’s effectively said ‘this man’s ill’.”

But Mr Lynch said that a hospital bed needed to be found before the order was made. “Until they say a bed’s available, he can’t be transferred to a hospital.”

However, that was questioned in court, given that a prison governor could independently transfer an inmate to a psychiatric unit.

The judge said: “He’s not even getting medication. That’s what’s shocking.

“Can your solicitors not say ‘we’ve got the report’, because they have psychiatric wings and psychiatric mental health practitioners in prison, say ‘look, he’s got this report’.

“He continues to be florid [presenting with psychotic symptoms], which can’t be much fun for his roommates.

“What shocked me was the fact he hasn’t even had any medication while he’s in there.”

Mr Lynch said that it should be possible for the prison to do ‘something’ while he was on remand, given the service had mental health workers.

“I’m slightly stunned,” the judge said. She adjourned the case until mid-May, when further psychiatric evidence will be presented to the judge.

Moody was not in court, having refused to come from HMP Bullingdon.