A TAKEAWAY boss had to fight off a mental health patient who was trying to stab him.

Nasser Herez grabbed a bat and manage to disarm paranoid schizophrenic Jay Smith as he lunged at him with a kitchen knife.

Smith had only been released from hospital a few days earlier and, fortunately, Mr Herez, who was described as Smith’s godfather, was not injured.

At Bolton Crown Court Judge Graeme Smith decided that 25-year-old Smith is so dangerous that he should be made subject to a hospital order and will not be released without the approval of the Ministry of Justice.

Making the order, Judge Smith told Smith, who appeared via a video link from Prestwich Hospital, that his actions would have been frightening those involved.

“To any impartial observer, they would have been extremely worrying, to those involved they would be terrifying,” he said.

The court heard how, on September 4, Smith walked into the Chips R Us shop on Tonge Old Road, Bolton and told a 17-year-old female assistant, “I’m going to get him”.

Andrew Mackintosh, prosecuting, said that Smith was staring at her with “cold eyes” and when he raised his hands she saw he holding a kitchen knife with a two inch blade.

Smith then turned and ran out of the shop and headed for Yummies kebab shop in nearby Bury Road.

At the time Mr Herez was working stacking boxes in the back room of Yummies.

Mr Mackintosh told how Mr Herez heard the door open and was confronted by Smith swinging a knife towards his neck.

“The knife narrowly missed him,” said Mr Mackintosh, who added that Smith was shouting, “I am going to kill you. I am going to slash your throat.”

Mr Herez fought off Smith, picked up a bat and managed to knock the knife from his hand.

The knifeman, who had delusional beliefs about Mr Herez, ran outside and was confronted by police, who arrested him.

The court heard that Smith, who has a history of mental health problems and a criminal record for violent offences, had only been discharged from hospital a few days earlier, had not been taking his medication and had bought the knife two days before the attack.

He pleaded guilty to affray, making threats to kill and possessing a knife.

Judge Smith said that it possible that, due to his mental illness he was not charged with an attempted murder charge.

The court was told that Smith has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia which is severe and enduring and he has poor insight into his disorder, failing to comply with taking medication when not in hospital.

Making a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act with an added Section 41 restriction, Judge Smith said: “I am satisfied that, because of the nature of the offences and also having regard your past, including your history of mental illness and to the risk that you will commit further offences if you are not detained, it is necessary to protect the public from serious harm and it is not possible to say for how long that will be so.”