Attacker who wielded pickaxe in hospital, attempting to murder two colleagues, jailed after "lucky day" rampage

30 April 2024 , 15:19

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Attacker who wielded pickaxe in hospital, attempting to murder two colleagues, jailed after "lucky day" rampage

Matteo Bottarelli chased colleagues with a pickaxe and a scalpel around the grounds of Central Middlesex Hospital in London, saying “today is your lucky day” before stabbing one in the neck

A maintenance worker who attempted to murder two of his work colleagues in an "unprovoked attack" at a London hospital has been jailed for 30 years.

Matteo Bottarelli chased colleagues with a pickaxe and a scalpel around the grounds of Central Middlesex Hospital in north-west London, he told one “today is your lucky day” before stabbing one of them in the neck from behind. A second man was later found collapsed with "multiple head injuries" shortly after the incident on June 21 last year, which saw the hospital evacuated, the court heard.

Two men in their 40s, Gideon Tesfay and Trevor McGuire, were found with "significant" but non-life-threatening injuries. Bottarelli, 44, first attempted to attack another male member of staff, Mark Quigley, before attacking Mr Tesfay and Mr McGuire with a pickaxe and a scalpel.

Bottarelli was found at home following an urgent search and taken to the hospital to be treated for self-inflicted injuries before being charged. Jurors found him guilty of two counts of attempted murder and one of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent following a trial at Wood Green Crown Court.

He had pleaded guilty to the lesser offences of wounding Mr Tesfay and Mr McGuire with intent to cause them grievous bodily harm at an earlier hearing. He also already admitted affray by using or threatening unlawful violence to cause a person to fear for their safety and having an offensive weapon.

Detective Constable Jacob Eyres, of the Metropolitan Police, said: "We have worked hard to build a case against Bottarelli, who posed a clear threat to his work colleagues and to public safety. Throughout our inquiries we gathered a substantial amount of evidence including detailed accounts from witnesses and victims whose contribution to the investigation was crucial.

"This was an unprovoked attack on people working to help others and it is right that Bottarelli will now face the consequences of his actions. I hope that his conviction brings the victims a measure of comfort in knowing that justice has been served. My thoughts are with them."

On the day of the incident, a hospital trust spokesman said: "We can confirm an incident took place at Central Middlesex Hospital this afternoon. Police are on site and the hospital was temporarily locked down for a short period of time as a precautionary measure. Working closely with the Metropolitan Police, we have now reopened the hospital and services will continue as normal."

James Smith