Nottingham stabbing: ‘My nephew killed my brother – but I’ve forgiven him’

The brother of a man stabbed to death by his mentally ill son has said health services and the police failed his family.

Brenton Marriott died in hospital after being stabbed by Rudi Marriott in Cloister Street, Nottingham, on 5 August 2022.

Rudi, who has paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to a hospital order last April after being found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but Delvin Marriott said the family tried to get him help years before the attack.

With the recent announcement of a judge-led public inquiry into the Nottingham attacks – which happened less than a year later – Delvin said he wanted to make sure nobody else goes through the same trauma.

In his first full interview since Brenton’s death, Delvin said Rudi had a very close relationship with his father, who worked for the Red Cross, after he looked after his mother and was a much-appreciated part of the family.

“Rudi was a part of a loving family, and he was an adorable person,” he said.

“Even when my mum lost the use of her legs, Rudi would be there helping us and supporting us.”

He said Rudi’s mental health worsened after he suffered severe head injuries in a street attack about 10 years ago, which led to weeks in hospital.

“He was badly battered, he had a dog set on him, and at that point Rudi’s personality changed,” he said.

“He couldn’t really talk or function at all [in hospital], but once he started to be able to talk a bit, he was complaining [about] his head, saying his head didn’t feel right.

“Then he was complaining he was hearing voices in his head.”

Delvin claimed Rudi’s report of hearing voices “wasn’t taken seriously” when he was in hospital, with his condition still difficult after he was back at home.

“He was definitely a lot more aggravated, a lot more temperamental, very edgy,” he said.

“Sometimes he didn’t want to speak, [and] just showing signs that things weren’t right with him.

“We just worked on him to try and get him calm – we tried to get him help.”

Brenton and his brother rallied round to try and support Rudi, who also approached mental health services to try and get support.

“He [Rudi] sat at the hospital waiting to be seen – 13 hours on one occasion, five hours on the next – he was trying himself to get help through the system,” Delvin said.

“He knew something was wrong, but again nothing came from it.

“He didn’t get any help, he was never seen at the hospital, and we just carried on trying to help him.”

After a period of better health when he was living with his then-partner, Rudi’s condition deteriorated again in 2018, when he started saying he had a microchip in his head and was stabbing the walls at home.

Delvin said the family had been in touch with Nottinghamshire Police over their worries, including after an incident in 2019 when officers attended alongside a mental health nurse, who decided Rudi did not need to be sectioned.

“I thought at that point something was going to be done,” he said.

“It was explained to them about his circumstances, about how he was not in control of his thoughts and he’s very delusional, and we thought that this was going to be OK, but they thought that Rudi was no harm to himself and no harm to the public.”

Delvin said the response from the authorities left the family feeling “totally isolated” and with “nowhere to go” as their fears mounted.

Rudi’s mental health problems continued, and in August 2022 he stabbed his father 75 times.

“That could have been me that was attacked – Rudi didn’t know what he was doing,” Delvin said.

“He was just very delusional, because he believed whatever was going on in his head. No matter what you said to him about reality, it had no effect.

“By that point the services were saying ‘well, he’s an adult, he needs to come in himself’, [but] at that point it’s too late, they’ve missed the opportunity.”

Delvin said he still felt the pain of the loss of his brother, who he said was “more or less a superhero” for the way he looked after Rudi.

Despite the pain, he says he forgives his nephew for the “devastating” attack, and had been to see him in hospital.

“It’s just a tragic, terrible, horrific event,” he said. “I love my nephew, but he took my brother’s life.

“I’ve forgiven him, but it’s such a turmoil of emotions that it’s so hard to comprehend.”

Delvin also pointed to the Nottingham attacks, in which Valdo Calocane – who also has paranoid schizophrenia – killed three people, and said they “might not have happened” had the authorities listened to his family.

“My heart sank when I heard about the Nottingham attacks, because I just thought ‘here we go again’,” he said.

“They [Rudi and Calocane] both had mental health conditions, and it wasn’t taken as seriously as it could have been.”

A domestic homicide review into Brenton’s death began on 9 January 2023, and will cover contact with Rudi and the family from August 2019 until the death.

The panel conducting the review is set to complete its work this year, and a “summary of learning” is due to be published after the document has been reviewed by the Home Office.

Delvin hopes it will bring about the changes needed to stop similar incidents happening again.

“We don’t want Brent’s passing to be in vain,” he said. “This is something that could happen to any family.

“Even since this attack, quite a few people have come to see me and spoken about their own circumstances, which are very similar.

“This is not a one-off, this is something that could happen with anybody, and it’s something that is still happening.”

Nottinghamshire Police said it would not comment while the homicide review was still taking place.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which was heavily criticised following a major review into the care it gave Valdo Calocane, said “any loss of life in such circumstances is an absolute tragedy”.

Chief executive Ifti Majid added: “On behalf of the trust I again offer my sincerest condolences to Brenton’s family and friends.

“We are unable to comment further whilst the domestic homicide review is taking place.”