Greater Manchester Police has confirmed that a man who lunged at five people with a knife when running through Manchester Arndale in October 2019 has been given a hospital order under the Mental Health Act.
In a statement released by the force yesterday, GMP explained that 43-year-old Raphael Chevelleau – who lived in Blackley, Manchester – was arrested by officers responding to reports of multiple people being stabbed at the shopping centre on the morning of Friday 11 October 2019.
Chevelleau had initially been held under the Terrorism Act following the incident, but was deemed by medical specialists to be initially unfit for interview and has been in a secure hospital under Mental Health Act ever since.
Detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing North West found no ideological motive for the attacks, but were however authorised to charge Chevelleau for three counts of wounding with intent and two counts of attempted wounding, with extensive CCTV enquiries eventually forming a sequence of Chevelleau’s movements that morning.
Giving further insights into his movements, GMP revealed he began at a local store in Blackley where he purchased a knife for £1.50, before putting in his coat pocket and heading towards the nearest bus stop.
After exiting the bus at Shudehill, Chevelleau went across to the Arndale where he walked through the shopping centre to the toilets to dispose of the packaging for the knife and return to the mall, before proceeding to go on a 90-second rampage where he first attacked a man in his 50s and subsequently inflicted injuries on four women aged between 19 and 49.
Thankfully, GMP said none of the injuries were life-threatening, but the man has since had his use of his right-hand severely affected, and all the victims had to be offered support for any psychological harm caused as a result of the attacks.
After pleading guilty at an earlier hearing, Chevelleau was eventually sentenced yesterday to a hospital order at Manchester Crown Court for three offences of wounding with intent, and two offences of attempted wounding.
The court heard that Chevelleau – who was a regular cannabis user – suffers from a schizophrenic illness, which has been resistant to treatment.
He was admitted to hospital in 2006 for a psychiatric illness, while his mother said he was diagnosed in prison with schizophrenia when he was 21, and a consultant forensic psychiatrist had previously told the court he thought it was “highly unlikely” Chevelleau would have committed the offences if he had not been suffering from schizophrenia.
He said there was “a wealth of evidence” that – unknown to medical practitioners and family members – his mental state deteriorated ahead of the stabbings.
Raphael Chevelleau was arrested by officers responding to reports of multiple people being stabbed at Manchester Arndale / Credit: Greater Manchester Police
Despite being arrested under counter-terrorism legislation due to the nature of the incident and comments made during his arrest, CTPNW investigators said they did not find evidence of an ideological motive.
Detectives said they spoke to over 160 witnesses to compile enough evidence to compel Chevelleau to plead guilty to all five stabbings and be sentenced to a hospital order under section 37 of the Mental Health Act subject to restrictions under section 41 of the Mental Health Act.
“This was a shocking and unprovoked attack and the Crown Prosecution Services thoughts remain with the victims and those directly affected by the actions of Mr Chevelleau,” said Nick Price – Head of the CPS Counter-Terrorism Division – following the sentencing.
“I am pleased that Mr Chevelleau has taken responsibility for his actions through his guilty pleas and that as such the victims and other witnesses who have provided statements are not required to give evidence in court.
“The sentence imposed by the court today reflects the seriousness of Mr Chevelleau’s actions and the level of danger he poses to the public.”
Featured Image – Greater Manchester Police
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‘Dazzling’ Victorian silver sculpture goes on public display in Greater Manchester after fears it was lost
Emily Sergeant
A long-lost masterpiece of Victorian silverwork has been saved and is now on display to the public in Greater Manchester.
Anyone taking a trip over to the National Trust’s historic Dunham Massey property, on the border of Greater Manchester into Cheshire, this summer will get to see the ‘dazzling’ sculpture called Stags in Bradgate Park – which was commissioned by a former owner in a defiant gesture to the society that shunned him.
The dramatic sculpture of two rutting Red Deer stags, commissioned in 1855 by George Harry Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford, was said to be an ‘act of love and rebellion’.
It also serves as a symbol of ‘locking horns’ with the society that ostracised him over his marriage to a woman considered ‘beneath him’.
“This isn’t just silver – it’s a story,” says James Rothwell, who is the National Trust‘s curator for decorative arts.
“A story of a man who fell in love with a woman that society deemed unworthy. When the Earl married Catherine Cox, whose colourful past was said to have included performing in a circus, Victorian high society was scandalised. Even Queen Victoria shunned the couple at the opera and local gentry at the horse races in Cheshire turned their backs on them.”
Modelled by Alfred Brown and crafted by royal goldsmiths Hunt & Roskell, Stags in Bradgate Park is a meticulously-detailed depiction of nature, and was considered a ‘sensation’ in its day.
Showing the rutting deer positioned on a rocky outcrop with gnarled hollow oaks, it graced the pages of the Illustrated London News, was exhibited at the London International Exhibition of 1862, and at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867 – both of which were events that drew millions of visitors.
A ‘dazzling’ Victorian silver sculpture has gone on public display in Greater Manchester / Credit: Joe Wainwright | James Dobson (via Supplied)
The silver centrepiece was the celebrity art of its time, paraded through streets and admired by the public like no other.
Gradually over the years, some of the Earl of Stamford’s silver collection has been re-acquired for Dunham Massey, and this particular world-renowned sculpture, thought to be lost for decades and feared to have been melted down, has miraculously survived with its ‘dramatic’ central component being all that is left.
“The sculpture is not only a technical marvel, with its lifelike depiction of Bradgate Park’s rugged landscape and wildlife, but also a dramatic human story key to the history of Dunham Massey,” added Emma Campagnaro, who is the Property Curator at Dunham Massey.
“It speaks of nature, of craftsmanship, and of a couple who chose each other over status and what others thought of them.”
The sculpture has now gone on display at Dunham Massey from Thursday 26 June.
Featured Image – James Dobson (via Supplied)
News
Lewis Capaldi announces MASSIVE comeback gig in Manchester this year
Thomas Melia
Everyone’s favourite Scottish ballad-maker, Lewis Capaldi, is heading out on tour across the UK, including a massive Manchester date.
Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi is ready to tug at our heartstrings again right in front of our eyes as he announces a new UK arena tour.
This huge announcement comes right after his surprise set at the UK’s biggest music event of the year, Glastonbury, where he made a heroic return to the Pyramid Stage just two years after being forced to pull out.
Capaldi is known for writing some of the most notable and emotive hits of the late 2010s and early 2020s, including a long list of anthems such as ‘Someone You Loved’, ‘Bruises’ and ‘Before You Go’.
His monster of a hit ‘Someone You Loved’ has surpassed 3.9 billion views and is the UK’s most-streamed song of all time, so it is safe to say that his presence has been well and truly missed.
To many fans’ delight, the singer has stepped back into the spotlight and is ready to sing his heart out live at a variety of arenas across the UK, including Co-op Live right here in Manchester.
Now, in a post on his official Instagram account announcing this upcoming UK and Ireland arena tour, it’s good to see the Scottish powerhouse hasn’t lost his wit and charm as he jokes, “About time I got back to work.”
These shows are set to be in high demand as the singer has also revealed these upcoming dates, “Will be my only shows in the UK, Ireland or Europe this year! Would love to see ya there.”
On the back of his glorious Glasto return, Capaldi has dropped a huge heart-wrencher titled ‘Survive’ which offers more insight into the struggles and challenges the singer has been facing.
There is no confirmation of whether this new single marks the launch of a bigger project or not, but we can’t wait to scream his hits at the top of our lungs, regardless of when he pays Manchester a visit later this year.
The Manc -
18th January 2022 
