NSW Supreme Court rules man not criminally responsible for killing British tourist in 2024 motel stabbing
Consensus Summary
On July 8, 2024, David Summers-Smith fatally stabbed British tourist Royce Mallett in the chest with a steak knife at the Hume Motor Inn in Albury, NSW, while Mallett was traveling with his best friend. Summers-Smith, who had a history of treatment-resistant schizophrenia, was found not criminally responsible for the murder by the NSW Supreme Court on April 28, 2026, after expert evidence confirmed he was experiencing psychosis at the time. The court ruled the act was proven but that Summers-Smith lacked the capacity to understand his actions due to his mental health condition. Mallett, a 30-year-old father of two, died from cardiac arrest shortly after the attack, leaving his partner and children devastated. Summers-Smith remains in custody, and the ruling highlights concerns about mental health treatment and community safety.
ā Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- David Summers-Smith fatally stabbed British tourist Royce Mallett in the chest with a steak knife in a motel car park on July 8, 2024, around 6:14 PM.
- The NSW Supreme Court ruled on April 28, 2026, that Summers-Smith was not criminally responsible for murder due to mental health impairment (treatment-resistant schizophrenia with psychotic symptoms).
- Summers-Smith was found to have a history of treatment-resistant schizophrenia, with expert evidence from Dr. Richard Furst and Dr. Kerri Eagle confirming he was experiencing psychosis at the time of the attack.
- Royce Mallett, 30, was a father-of-two and was traveling with his best friend Carl Fisher in a rented Toyota Camry when the attack occurred at the Hume Motor Inn in Albury, NSW.
- Summers-Smith called police hours after the stabbing and admitted to stabbing someone with a steak knife, later claiming the knife was discarded in a bush.
- Mallettās partner, Caitlin OāKeeffe, testified that his death left her raising their two young children alone and described the lifelong impact of his loss.
- Summers-Smith remains in custody, held in a correctional facility under a special verdict of 'act proven but not criminally responsible.'
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Justice Dina Yehia described the stabbing as 'both catastrophic and tragic' in her ruling.
- Mallettās parents, Roy and Felicity, traveled from the UK to attend the hearing and described their son as their 'best friend' and a man with a 'cheeky smile' and 'brainwave of business ideas.'
- The family questioned how Summers-Smith was allowed to remain in the community with a treatment-resistant psychiatric illness.
- The family continues to visit Mallettās grave on his birthday, at Christmas, and on the anniversary of his death.
- The attack occurred as Mallett and Fisher were sitting in the front seats of the Toyota Camry drinking beer.
- Summers-Smith was pacing around the car park with 'his hands in his pocket' before diving through the open driverās side window.
- The prosecution and defense agreed that Summers-Smithās 'treatment-resistant schizophrenia with psychotic symptoms' was the most likely reason for the killing.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states Summers-Smith 'did not say a word before fleeing the scene,' while NEWSCOMAU does not mention this detail.
Source Articles
Man who randomly killed British tourist not criminally responsible
A man who killed a British tourist in a random stabbing at an Albury motel in 2024 has been found not criminally responsible for the attack.
Shock result in backpacker stabbing case
The man who stabbed a British tourist to death with a steak knife has been found ānot criminally responsibleā for the horrifying incident.