Barry Hounsome murder: Teen who violently killed his stepfather has a 'delusional belief system', jury told.

Vladimir Ivashikin claims he has been receiving information by an organisation - called 'The Makers' - who hope to create a world which is run by machinery.

At the age of 16 the now 22 year old attacked Dr Barry Hounsome in his home in Southcroft Road, Gosport, with a hammer, knife and electric drill, blaming 'voices' in his head for his actions. He was diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and after pleading guilty in 2019 to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility was sent by a judge to a secure hospital.

However, in 2022, Ivashikin allegedly admitted to a nurse that he had 'fabricated' his symptoms, and that he had killed his stepfather, 54, because he had wondered 'what it would be like' and 'how powerful it would feel'. He is now on trial for murder after doctors concluded he wasn't mentally ill.

Today (Tuesday, July 9), jurors at Southampton Crown Court heard evidence from two forensic psychiatrists who assessed him last year and told the court they believe Ivashikin is in fact suffering from a psychotic illness - which is most likely schizophrenia.

Dr Bradley Hillier who is based in Jersey told the court he had created a 'delusional world'. He said: "There was a big system of bizarre ideas that somehow all linked together in quite a complex way. Involving this idea about the makers, the human species being reproduced, genetic materials and things like this."

It was heard Ivashikin had been cutting off bits of flesh from his body in 'geometric' patterns, boiling them in the kettle, and eating them in order to attract the attention of 'The Makers'.

Dr Hillier said he believed he was sufficiently mentally unwell with psychosis, which is one that detaches him from reality - and is most likely schizophrenia.

In a statement read to the court, Dr Lucy Bacon, who is based at Guild Lodge Mental Healthcare Hospital in Preston, Lancashire, recalled him telling her: "Everything from my past from before the offence is bittersweet. Mr Ivashikin confirmed he had had no contact with his GP about mental health or with mental health services prior to his offence," she said.

Speaking of 'the voice', Dr Bacon said Ivashikin told her that it was of an Eastern European male, in his 30s or 40s, who was not known to him. According to the psychiatrist, the voice started talking about killing and would tell Ivashikin what to do. "It was always inside his head but it had the quality of a normal voice," she said.

Dr Bacon said over time, Ivashikin because 'accustomed' to the voice being present and he told her it became 'my new normal'. Ivashikin felt as if he had to follow the 'disturbing' and 'shocking' requests of the voice in order to 'reduce its intensity'. "If he did not so what it said it would get more intense, more commanding," she said.

Ivashikin said 'I just wanted to get rid of that', the court heard.

After some time, the voice told the teen to hurt animals and the court heard of one occasion in which he passed a dead fox. "It just kept telling me to pick it up and run so I did," Ivashikin told the psychiatrist, "The voice told me to cut it up so I did that."

Describing the attack at the family home in October 2018, the 22 year old told the doctor the voice told him to kill his stepfather and he felt as if he did not have control over his body. He did not feel as if his arm was acting under his own control at this point," Dr Bacon said of Ivashikin attacking his stepdad.

She said Ivashikin said he kept saying 'sorry' to his stepfather who responded with 'Why are you doing this you bastard?'. After Dr Hounsome was dead, the voice told Ivashikin 'You are finished now', Dr Bacon said. Ivashikin told Dr Bacon: "The image of [Dr Hounsome] and what happened to him is still burnt into the back of my mind," the court heard.

The trial heard last week that Ivashikin attacked Dr Hounsome  while telling him 'Sorry, Dad'. John Price KC, prosecuting, told the court the then 16 year old had called 999 after the attack saying he had hit him over the head with a hammer 'many times' and stabbed him with a knife.

After being arrested, Ivashikin told doctors he had been 'unable to resist' the voices which had commanded him to kill his stepfather, jurors were told. However, the court heard he had never mentioned hearing voices before and that the three doctors who diagnosed him as suffering from mental illness relied on him honestly telling them what was going on 'inside his head'.

In May 2019, after admitting manslaughter, he was formally found not guilty of murder - and was sent by a judge at Winchester Crown Court to Ravenswood House Hospital in Fareham for treatment.

But, the court heard that in February 2022 Ivishikin told a nurse at the hospital, Jacob Butcher, that he had recently 'fabricated' symptoms to get transferred to a different ward. He is alleged to have said: "The truth is out now……. the game is finally up.”

The court heard that following this conversation and further interviews with doctors, specialists decided Ivashikin was not mentally unwell. In January 2023 he was re-arrested and then charged with murder.

Ivashikin - who says that what he told hospital staff in 2022 is false - denies murder but has pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility.

Health science expert Dr Hounsome previously worked at the University of Southampton and at Bangor University, Wales, conducting studies into diseases including Parkinson's and dementia. The trial continues.