The victim of a violent attack may never recover from a blood infection which caused psychosis, leading him to believe he was the President of the United States.
Tatenda Kamasho, 19, was stabbed in the arm and then bitten on a cheek by 18-year-old Jordace Sinclair, of Northampton, during a 6am attack while waiting for food at McDonalds in The Drapery, Northampton, on June 17.
Northampton Crown Court heard he was treated at Northampton General Hospital for the stab wound, but the bite to his cheek became septic within days, causing the bacterial infection, facial cellulitis, which left him hallucinating with psychosis.
Mary Loram, prosecuting, said Mr Kamasho’s condition deteriorated to such an extent, that he believed he was Barrack Obama and could hear “six million people talking, with God-like delusions”. He required sectioning under the Mental Health Act 1983.
Mr Kamasho is still being treated at a psychiatric hospital and has yet to make a full recovery four months later.
Miss Loram said Sinclair, of no fixed address, took exception to Mr Kamasho talking, told him to be quiet and made threats to strangle him.
She said: “There was an exchange of punches. It then looked as if it was going to die down.”
However, Sinclair pulled a knife from the back of his trousers and stabbed him with such force the knife snapped in two.
Miss Loram said: “The two then fell over and the defendant then bit him to the cheek area and had to be pulled off by the staff.”
Despite being treated and released from hospital, Mr Kamasho had to be re-admitted the next day when his airways closed and he was put in a five-day induced coma. By June 26, he started hallucinating, developed psychosis and had to be sectioned.
Sinclair, who pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent, possession of a knife and theft, was jailed for five years.
Judge Richard Bray said: “The bite to the cheek was a particularly unpleasant act. The injuries had disastrous consequences for him.
“He developed a serious infection, was in a coma for five days and the doctors describe them as life-threatening.
“The prognosis is uncertain. I appreciate you did not intend to cause injuries that serious. However, you have to take the consequences of what followed.”
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