A PARANOID schizophrenic man has been found guilty of attempting to kill five people when he went on a stabbing spree in north London just before Christmas 2004.

His victims, who were left fighting for their lives on Christmas Day, said they bore no ill-will to their attacker and questioned the level of care the mentally ill man had received.

Ismail Dogan, 31, from Tottenham, had earlier pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Enfield masonry expert Ernest Meads, 58, on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

The five other victims, including four males and one female, all survived the random violent attacks in Enfield and Haringey on the morning of December 23, 2004.

His lawyers denied the five attempted murder charges, on the grounds that his ill health meant he could not form intent, but a judge ordered his admission to a secure unit.

Mr Meads, a father of two, was walking to a bus stop when he was approached by Dogan and stabbed seven times, including a fatal puncture to the heart.

Mr Meads was the final victim in the unprovoked stabbing spree which happened within a six mile radius between 8am and 9am.

The first victim on that fateful morning was 31-year-old David Symes, who was attacked as he walked towards Edmonton Green rail station.

Mr Symes managed to kick out at Dogan and get back to his feet before raising the alarm. Dogan fled the scene and bought another knife at a shop in Tottenham High Road.

Dogan then stabbed Roger Levy five times in his stomach and legs, moments after the 49-year-old had bought his morning newspaper.

Next he pushed 30-year-old Vicki Cann off her bicycle and stabbed her in the chest. She required life-saving surgery after being in a critical condition.

Raymond Day was then stabbed at a bus stop, but the 76-year-old thought he'd only been punched and got on the bus. He soon realized he had been knifed and took himself to hospital.

Dogan then stabbed Jeffrey Archer, 50, in the back and fled in his car. The attack was seen by an off duty police officer who took down Dogan's car registration number.

Police then spotted Dogan as he drove to his house, he was stopped and a 15cm knife was seen sitting in the front seat of his Hyundai.

Following the sentencing Mr Levy said he bore no resentment to Mr Dogan.

"While Mr Meads was killed and five others, including myself, were seriously injured, many more people were affected, many families damaged or destroyed by the series of attacks that morning. This includes Mr Dogan and his family who attempted to obtain help for him prior to the events of that day," he said.

Specialist Crime Directorate East DCI Mark Kandiah said: "The truly awful thing about this case is the sheer randomness of the attacks. Dogan's victims were ordinary people going about their everyday business, meeting friends, riding bikes, buying newspapers, who had no time at all to comprehend what was happening.

"They never could have expected to be stabbed in those circumstances. Each attack was so sudden."

Ms Cann called for a full, independent inquiry into what happened.

"What I think this court has illustrated is that there are a number of outstanding questions regarding the level of care and treatment that Mr Dogan and his family received in the run-up to these events," she said.

"I hope that this will lead to an eventual outcome where people with mental health problems and their families always receive the full and appropriate care and treatment which they need. I also hope that it might help prevent such distressing events from happening again."