Man who cut off woman’s hand and left it in mother’s freezer ‘may never be released from jail’

‘He thought he was suffering from a serious illness and said he had been advised by Barack Obama to take crystal meth’, lawyer says

Stephen Brisbane thought Barack Obama had told him he needed crystal meth, the court heard (PA)

A man who cut off a woman’s hand with a knife and put it in his mother’s freezer has been jailed indefinitely.

Stephen Brisbane attacked Sandra McGowan, a disabled woman in a wheelchair, and chopped off her hand in Dundee last year.

Judge Johanna Johnston said: “You have pleaded guilty to an attack on a vulnerable and defenceless woman in her own home."

She said he had inflicted “horrendous injuries” on his victim which have “changed her life”.

Brisbane was handed a lifelong restriction order by Glasgow High Court, meaning he will be under supervision for the rest of his life if the Parole Board for Scotland decides to ever allow his release from prison.

Ms McGowan let Brisbane into her flat believing he was her carer, the court was told during the trial.

Prosecutor Richard Goddard said: “The accused walked up, gave her a cuddle, told her his name was Stephen and offered to make her a cup of tea.”

The victim lost consciousness when he started to cut her right wrist and later woke up to find she had no hand, the BBC reported.

Defending Brisbane, Mark Stewart QC said: “He thought he was suffering from a serious illness and said he had been advised by Barack Obama to take crystal meth.

“He had been told it was the cure for his illness and could be extracted from the bones of human beings.”

His sister called the police after finding the severed hand in their mother’s fridge, the court heard.

The judge told Brisbane, who has around 100 convictions, he may never be released and said the convicted criminal posed “a high risk” to the public.

He must serve at least four years behind bars before he can apply for parole.

Brisbane’s defence lawyer said his client feels “deep regret and sorrow” over his actions.

He said: “The risk assessment ... concludes that as a consequence of his historic chronic drug problems he presents as an unpredictable character.

“He clearly stands convicted by his own admission of a very serious offence.”

Additional reporting by Press Association