A WOMAN who stabbed her own mother to death is suing the NHS for not stopping her.

Ecila Henderson, 44, was sent to a mental hospital indefinitely in 2011 after admitting manslaughter of 69-year-old retired Fordingbridge Junior School teacher Rosemary Armstrong, who lived in Redlynch.

She had been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia before the killing in 2010 and the NHS has since admitted negligence in her treatment.

But it is refusing to pay compensation “for the consequences of killing her mother”.

Dorset Healthcare University Foundation NHS Trust admitted negligence in 2014 and Henderson’s lawyers argue that she would not have killed her mother had the NHS not let her down.

But NHS lawyers say it would go against “rule of law” to allow her to profit from her crime and the claim should be limited to any psychiatric harm she suffered as a result of negligence.

The case is expected to last three days at London’s High Court.

Mr Justice Warby told the court: “Long before the manslaughter she had been diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.

“At the time she was under the care of the Southbourne Mental Health Team within the NHS trust.

“An inquiry later made findings critical of the trust’s conduct.

“The core criticism was of a failure to act in a timely manner when alerted by a health worker to a significant deterioration in her condition.”

Summing up, he added: “The issues concern the extent to which Henderson’s claims for damages are barred by the rule of law, which prohibits a person from recovering damages for the consequences of their own illegality.”

After the preliminary hearing the judge refused to allow amendments to Henderson’s case or to delay the December hearing.

Mrs Armstrong worked as a teacher at Fordingbridge Junior School for 12 years, leaving in July 2001.

The former PE teacher moved to the Salisbury area about 40 years ago and lived in Sandy Lane, Redlynch, for about 35 years, regularly attending the local church and the Redlynch History Society meetings.

At the time, Mrs Armstrong’s other daughter Fiona Henderson, 41, described her mother – who was known as Elaine – as a beautiful, elegant, courageous and compassionate woman with a devilish sense of humour, who lived for her children and for other people.

“She was always thinking of others before she thought of herself and was very selfless.”