A knife-wielding paranoid schizophrenic, who thought police officers he tried to stab were computer clones from hit movie 'The Matrix', has been sent to a secure psychiatric hospital indefinitely.
University graduate George Asare, 25, of Elsinore Road, Forest Hill, South East London survived being shot five times by armed police and tasered twice during the late-night confrontation.
A Croydon Crown Court jury found he committed the offences, but returned a not guilty verdict by reason of insanity yesterday.
Asare (pictured) was charged with attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm on three different officers; causing criminal damage to a neighbour's VW Polo and a police car and affray in the early hours of February 19.
He believed her was under satellite surveillance from his employer and a neighbour and lunged at the officers with a twelve-inch knife when police were called to a report of vandalism.
Prosecutor Mr. Peter Clement told the court: "The charges reflect a frightening episode that was potentially very hazardous to three police officers and potentially lethal to this defendant.
"Residents were woken by a loud and repeated banging coming from the road and they saw this defendant damaging a car belonging to one of the neighbours.
"He was seen to kick the car and climbed onto the bonnet and with a brick smashed the windscreen.
"They describe him as acting clearly out of character and the events of the next thirty minutes speak volumes as an event of acute mental illness on the part of this defendant."
Police Sergeant Ian Fearn and Inspector Mick Chatterton were the first officers on the scene and saw the hooded Asare standing in the middle of the road with his hands in his pockets.
The defendant said: "No" when asked to show his hands and walked towards PS Fearn.
"As he got close he took his left hand out of his pocket in which he held a large knife and lashed out in the area of the officer's abdomen and missed by inches only because the officer arched back.
"The officer ran backwards and the defendant chased him around the car and again lashed out with the weapon and fortunately PS Fearn avoided that by arching his torso for a second time.
"The defendant turned his attention to the Inspector and with the knife at shoulder height and the blade pointing towards the officer he lunged at Inspector Chatterton.
'It was clear the Inspector was the next target and the officer ran around the vehicle. but Mr. Asare continued to chase him with that knife.
"All the officers could do to avoid being stabbed was to run."
Asare then slashed the police car's seats and bonnet, ripped out dashboard equipment and kicked the side panels.
He walked home, but emerged moments later with two large knives and walked into nearby Stanstead Road.
By now armed police had arrived and ordered Asare to: "Drop the knives."
Two officers then shot Asare with electric tasters as he walked forward with a knife in eat hand.
"Despite hitting him the tasters had no apparent effect," explained Mr. Clement.
A firearms officer, identified only as N71, was close to Asare.
"Mr. Asare lashed out with one of his knives towards the officer's head and neck area and the officer, and one of his colleagues, fired.
"Mr. Asare was hit twice, but neither live round had any obvious effect and he remained standing and was shot again.
"He dropped to his knees and stood up, still holding the knives, and was shot two more times."
As Asare received first aid he said: "Tell my dad I am sorry. I want to die, just kill me."
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