A HEREFORDSHIRE teenager who injured a man in the street with a weapon has been detained under a hospital order.

Ashley Lambert, aged 19, was seen with a machete in Tinglebrook Close, Madley.

His head was covered by a hood and he had a scarf over his face on September 24, 2005.

Joseph O'Hagen was on his way to a party when he was attacked and suffered a minor arm injury.

Lambert, of Webton Cottage, Madley, was found guilty of possession of a blade and common assault by a jury. He was unfit to plead. Reports from two psychiatrists confirmed he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.

Recorder Christopher Millington QC said Lambert would live at the Stonebow psychiatric unit in Hereford - where he is being treated - but may be moved to a more secure unit at a later stage.

He said Lambert had been making threats to two brothers by phone on the day of the attack.

The defendant had been ill since December 2004, when he believed prowlers were in his home and that voices he heard came from transmitters planted in his body.

The recorder said Lambert denied being mentally ill and did not believe in medication.

While at the Stonebow, he barricaded himself in his room and broke a mirror to use the glass as a weapon.

The recorder added: "I'm quite satisfied he poses a potential risk of serious violence to members of the public."

Tim Sapwell, defending, said the offences happened when Lambert was beset by mental problems.