Hospital attacker who tried to murder colleagues with pickaxe and scalpel jailed

A hospital maintenance worker who attempted to murder two of his colleagues has been jailed for 30 years.

Matteo Bottarelli, 44, told a Central Middlesex Hospital worker, ‘this is your lucky day,’ before stabbing him in the neck with a type of pickaxe on June 21 last year.

A second man suffered multiple head injuries in the attack that saw the north-west London hospital evacuated at around 1.20pm.

Gideon Tesfay was stabbed with a scalpel while Trevor McGuire was beaten over the head with a mattock.

The two men, both 40, sustained significant but not life-threatening injuries.

Bottarelli, of Central Way, north-west London, also tried to injure his line manager, Mark Quigley who came out unscathed.

The gardener was arrested by armed officers who descended on his home. He was taken to hospital for treatment of self-inflicted injuries.

Wood Green Crown Court earlier heard how Bottarelli had taken heroin and cocaine before tearing through the hospital.

In the canteen, Bottarelli walked in holding a mattock, a tool used for hole-digging.

‘This is a place to eat, why bring that in here?’ asked Tesfay, before going to heat his food in the microwave.

As he did, however, Bottarelli placed the mattock near the door and sliced Tesfay’s neck with a scalpel.

CCTV footage showed the defendant charging at Quigley with the mattock high above his head.

He chased Tesfay as he fled out to the hospital car park, managing to hide behind vehicles. Witnesses described Bottarelli as ‘angry’ and ‘sweating profusely’.

Bottarelli admitted wounding Tesfay and McGuire with intent to cause grievous bodily harm but he was convicted by a jury of attempting to murder both men.

He was also convicted of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to Quiqley.

Bottarelli earlier admitted affray and possessing an offensive weapon, the pickaxe, or mattock, with intent.

Sentencing Bottarelli, Judge Joanna Greenberg KC said: It is likely you were suffering from an underlying psychotic illness for several years.

‘I have no doubt that your ingestion of a very large amount of heroin and cocaine on 21 June last year, greater than the quantity you usually took, had an impact.

‘You are unable to explain why you attacked work colleagues with whom you had no dispute.

‘Mr Maguire has suffered permanent, lifelong, irreversible injuries which has had and will continue to have a substantial effect and long-term effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, and his ability to work.

‘Mr Tesfay has suffered serious scarring and has suffered serious psychological and physical harm.

‘I do not regard you as inherently wicked – what you did has not only affected each of your victims, but your own.

‘You have ruined your own life.’

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