Man who killed British father-of-two in Australia declared mentally unfit for trial

A man who killed a British father-of-two in a motel car park in Australia has been declared mentally unfit to stand trial.

Royce Mallett, 30, from County Durham, was in the country for work when he was stabbed in the chest while sitting in the driver's seat of a car parked outside the Hume Inn Motel in Albury, New South Wales, in July 2024.

David Summers-Smith, who has schizophrenia and was displaying symptoms of psychosis at the time of the incident, pleaded not guilty to the murder due to mental impairment.

On Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Dina Yehia determined Summers-Smith did commit the murder but could not be held criminally responsible.

"I am satisfied that the accused has established on a balance of probabilities that at the time he stabbed the deceased, he was suffering from a mental health impairment that had the effect that he did not know that the act was wrong: that is, he could not reason with a moderate degree of sense and composure about whether the act, as perceived by reasonable people, was wrong," she said.

She ordered Summers-Smith to be held indefinitely in a mental health facility.

Any potential recovery will be monitored by the Mental Health Review tribunal, which has the power to revise his detention order.

Caitlin O'Keeffe, Mr Mallett's partner, said his death has caused immense emotional and financial strain for the family.

"It affects not just today but every future moment that he should have been part of, and everyday moments that he's already missed," she said in a victim impact statement read out by Justice Yehia.

The court also heard Mr Mallett's father Roy struggles to find the motivation to do anything and no longer enjoys the hobbies he used to share with his son.

(c) Sky News 2026: Man who killed British father-of-two in Australia declared mentally unfit for trial