A MENTALLY-ill man convicted of crimes including murdering a 25-year-old woman died at Winchester hospital after a severe stroke, an inquest heard.

Winston Williams, who was also known as Sam Chung, was transferred to the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in November after falling ill at a mental health facility in Berkshire.

Winchester Coroner’s Court heard how paranoid schizophrenic Mr Williams, 72, had first been detained under the mental health act at Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric hospital, for wounding with intent, but was admitted on three other occasions, including when he was convicted for murdering a 25-year-old Reading woman.

The details of the death were not included in the inquest, but national news reports at the time said Mr Williams stabbed 25-year-old Katie Kazmi 77 times in 1999, before hiding her body in his flat for days.

In 2002, an inquiry commissioned by the Thames Valley health authority identified “serious shortcomings” in his treatment and care before he committed the murder, including an almost complete failure to effectively supervise him, according to the national reports.

It added after his release, and despite his dangerous record, his care and treatment had been “unplanned and chaotic”, with serious shortcomings identified as poor communication between agencies, a failure to apply effective supervision in the community and ineffective monitoring of his drug abuse.

The report also criticised the failure of the Home Office’s mental health unit to recognise these failings, despite the fact that they took place over a long period of time.

The inquest heard that Mr Williams, who was wheelchair bound and had dementia, as well as other health conditions, was admitted to the RHCH after he was spotted looking unwell at the mental health facility.

Consultant Dr Elzbieta Tone said that he had suffered a “severe stroke”, and with a ‘do not resuscitate’ (DNR) order in place Mr Williams died on December 6.

Coroner Grahame Short recorded that death was due to natural causes.