Killing of couple by paranoid schizophrenic was ‘entirely preventable’ – coroner

The deaths of a retired couple who were killed by a man with a severe mental health illness were “entirely preventable”, a coroner has found.

Pensioners Marjorie and Michael Cawdery, both 83, were stabbed to death at their home in Portadown, Co Armagh, on May 26, 2017.

Paranoid schizophrenic Thomas Scott McEntee, who is now aged in his mid-40s, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was given a life sentence in June the following year.

Delivering inquest findings at Banbridge courthouse on Wednesday, coroner Maria Dougan said that on the balance of probabilities the deaths could have been