Army cadet accused of lying about psychotic symptoms cleared of murder

A man has been acquitted over allegations he murdered his stepfather and lied about voices in his head telling him to do it.

Vladimir Ivashikin, then a 16-year-old A-level student, killed university lecturer Dr Barry Hounsome with electric drills, knives and a hammer in October 2018.

The army cadet, now 22, told police afterwards he was hearing “voices” which had ordered him to kill the 54-year-old at their home in Gosport, Hampshire.

Southampton Crown Court heard how Ivashikin was charged with murder, but after three psychiatrists diagnosed him as having at the time of the killing a “psychotic illness”, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

He was then sentenced to a hospital order, but in 2022 was re-investigated and charged with murder after he told a nurse at the psychiatric unit where he was a patient that he had fabricated his psychotic symptoms, the court heard.

During the trial, defence witness Dr Bradley Hillier, who assessed Ivashikin last year, told jurors that he appeared “unwell” with “genuine symptoms” of psychosis.

Jurors on Wednesday found Ivashikin not guilty of murder.

Ivashikin, previously of Southcroft Road, Gosport, denied murder but admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and will be sentenced on Friday.