SOLDIER IN CANNABIS FRENZY KILLED FATHER OF HIS BEST FRIEND

A soldier who killed a teacher in a cannabis-induced frenzy will be
jailed today.

Lance Corporal Laurie Draper, 31, hacked his best friend's father to
death with garden shears after smoking the drug.

Medical tests found he was suffering from "cannabis induced
delusions" when he attacked 53-year-old Paul Butterworth at his home
in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.

It had been a "nice friendly evening" until Draper smoked a joint
after dinner. It sparked a manic reaction known as hypomania - a
condition which causes hyperactivity and an inflated sense of power.

He admitted the manslaughter of Mr Butterworth and assaulting Mr
Butterworth's son Ashley, 33, at their home in March. He will be
sentenced at St Albans Crown Court.

The case comes amid controversy over the downgrading of cannabis
from a class B drug to a class C.

A Hackney pastor has launched a landmark legal challenge to overturn
the "softly, softly" approach by police. The Rev George Hargreaves
has been given UKP30,000 by a secret sponsor to fund his attempt to
reverse police guidelines on possession of the drug.

Mr Hargreaves's bid for a judicial review comes after the murder of
Steven Nyembo-Ya-Muteba, attacked by a gang who neighbours said had
been smoking "skunk", a super-strength variety of cannabis.

His wife Veronique, 29, and two young daughters led a memorial
service through the streets of Hackney yesterday, a week after the
40-year-old's death.

Draper, who served in Iraq, was in the Royal Logistic Corps, based
in Colchester. He was in the process of leaving the Army when the
killing happened. The court heard it was the first time Draper had
used cannabis for several years and that he had grown it at home.

A source close to the case said: "Draper had been displaying bizarre
behaviour for a couple of months but clearly cannabis tipped the
scales. It was a perfectly nice friendly evening but suddenly, after
smoking the cannabis, he just flipped.

"He thought he was on fire, the house was on fire, and that Paul and
Ashley were trying to attack him. He went into the kitchen and
doused it with water, then stripped his clothes off and attacked
Paul. He hacked him to death with a pair of long-handled shears,
tree croppers, hitting him about 50 times in the head."

Mr Butterworth had worked at Sheredes School, a mixed comprehensive
in Hoddesdon, for 18 years and had dedicated his life to teaching
and students.

Prosecutors accepted Draper's not guilty plea to murder on the
grounds of diminished responsibility.

Mr Hargreaves's court bid is the first time the
police interpretation of Government drug policy has been challenged.

After the downgrading of cannabis, the Association of Chief Police
Officers issued a policy in 2003 advising officers in most cases to
issue a warning and confiscate the drug.

The downgrading coincided with a boom in the use of skunk.

It is feared it can lead to psychosis and is fuelling a rise in
violent crime. The association has begun a review of the guidelines.