An American tourist who was almost paralysed when mentally-ill Lorenzo Robinson stabbed him wishes he'd been given the treatment he needed before he killed himself in prison.

Mr. Robinson, a paranoid schizophrenic, knifed Scott Jable in the back with a six-inch blade in broad daylight on Front Street seven years ago. Aged 22 at the time, Robinson claimed to have acted after hearing the voice of Osama Bin Laden.

He was acquitted of attempted murder on the grounds of insanity and sent to a maximum security hospital cell at Westgate, despite recommendations from experts that he needed hospital treatment in a secure "forensic psychiatric unit," which Bermuda does not have.

Mr. Robinson protested about the conditions of his incarceration and even won a ruling from the Supreme Court that they were unsuitable but he remained at Westgate until he hanged himself last July, aged 28.

An inquest jury ruled last week that the death was suicide. Reacting to the news Mr. Jable, 45, from Chicago, told The Royal Gazette he felt great shock and sadness when he learned of Mr. Robinson's death.

"I just wish he could have got help. If a person is mentally ill and there's someone out there that could cure their illness then they should be given that opportunity. I had never ever hoped to get a phone call to say Lorenzo Robinson had killed himself. What I would have hoped to have heard was that he's been cured, he's a person who is living a normal existence, and I would have liked to have met him. I would have shaken his hand and said 'I'm glad you got help and you're back in society'."

Ruling just four months before Mr. Robinson's death that he needed specialised treatment, Chief Justice Richard Ground urged Governor Sir Richard Gozney to consider sending Robinson for treatment overseas.

According to Mr. Robinson's mother, Dedona Grant, that recommendation was vetoed by Government although there has been no official comment. The inquest jury heard evidence last week that prisoners and officers at Westgate were frustrated with Mr. Robinson's disruptive behaviour, and he may have felt bullied at the time of his death.

Mr. Jable, a father of two, said of this: "I can really sympathise with all sides of this situation. On one side you have got Lorenzo Robinson who was obviously mentally ill, who had issues that needed to be treated and not ignored. He's a very specialised case and it wasn't something he could help.

"But as I read about the inquest I pictured myself trying to be one of those prison guards trying to deal with someone like him, like an out of control child. And over time, how frustrating that could be. It is not just as simple as lock him up in a cell and ignore him."

Mr. Jable, who still suffers the after-effects of his injuries, acknowledged that the treatment required for Mr. Robinson would have been very expensive for Bermuda, and speculated that there may not be enough persons with such needs to make building a forensic psychiatric unit here cost-effective. But he questioned why there is no arrangement in place with a larger jurisdiction overseas whereby mentally-ill criminals could be sent there for treatment.

Asked for an update, Minister of Health and Acting Minister of Public Safety Walter Roban said the Heath Ministry is working with "overseas parties" to ensure safety for the Island's mentally ill. While he refused to give specifics about plans, he said the efforts began following Mr. Robinson's suicide.

"The Government and the Ministry of Health have been working since the incident to make sure the unfortunate happening does not happen again," he said."Not to speak specifically about the Lorenzo Robinson case, but we have already developed relationships with overseas parties to make sure that the unfortunate incident does not repeat itself. There are other details that will be announced in due course."

Mr. Roban said this would come after a formal review of the Lorenzo Robinson case is finished. Coroner Khamisi Tokunbo indicated at the close of the inquest that he will be issuing recommendations to prevent similar fatalities in future, although it remains unclear if these will be made public.

Governor Sir Richard declined to provide any additional comment or information, saying yesterday: "I'll leave the Minister of Health to offer any expansion on his reference to overseas parties, although I remember clearly that Government including the Ministry of Health, with Government House support, were working on assistance from overseas even before poor Lorenzo Robinson committed suicide. As for any comment on the inquest I shall wait until we see the Coroner's conclusions."