A PARANOID schizophrenic who killed his mother with a kitchen knife in a frenzied attack will probably spend the rest of his life in a secure mental institution.

Michael Torrie, 44, can only be released with the Home Secretary's permission, after he admitted stabbing his 82-year-old mother, Ivy, in the neck at the home they shared in The Oval, Pocklington.

Crown prosecutor Chris Dunn told Sheffield Crown Court yesterday that Torrie's "fragile" state of mind was "fractured" by an incident at his workplace, Power Health Products Ltd, Pocklington, when he was shot with a pellet gun by the owner's son, Nicholas McIver, 37.

Three days later, despite taking a double dose of medication on the advice of a doctor and being comforted by his two sisters until the early hours, he killed his mother in a bloody attack while they were alone.

The judge, Mr Justice Tugendhat, said he believed a letter from Torrie expressing remorse was genuine, but he said he must detain him indefinitely to protect the public.

Speaking after the case, Superintendent Peter Morris, who led the inquiry, described the pellet incident as "skylarking" among colleagues, which had a more serious impact on Torrie.

He said an investigation had taken place after Torrie was hit on the shoulder with a plastic pellet, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided to take no further action.

Victoria McIver, 34, managing director of Power Health Products Ltd, based at Pocklington industrial estate, said Mr McIver, her brother, had been disciplined after a board meeting, but retained his job.

Mr Dunn said Torrie, a "quiet, friendly man", was upset by the "shooting" on September 11. He said Mr McIver told Torrie he intended to blind him.

He said: "It was this incident that sparked an episode of instability and worrying behaviour that led the defendant to kill his mother three days later."

Police were called to Torrie's home after a neighbour saw him standing at the front door with blood on his clothing and a large kitchen knife in his hand on Sunday, September 14.

They discovered his mother's body with severe neck injuries.

Torrie, diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic in 1983, was arrested by armed police in his car near Howden less than two hours later.

David Tremberg, for Torrie, said: "This defendant will have to live with what he has done every day for the rest of his life. It's an unmitigated tragedy."

A neighbour of the Torries, who did not wish to be named, said yesterday: "I knew Michael very well. He was a lovely, kind boy. He was a quiet person.

"He would do anything for you, but I think something had slipped in his head.

"She was a lovely woman and we were really good friends. They were a lovely family and we never had a wrong word. He loved his mother."

Updated: 09:09 Saturday, February 21, 2004