The father of a teenager who stabbed his grandmother to death spoke to his son and made plans to bring him home before the youngster killed her.

Sue Addis, 69, died in her bathroom in Cedars Gardens, Brighton, in January 2021 after she was attacked by Pietro Addis, 17 at the time.

A post-mortem investigation found that the restaurateur, who ran Donatello, was stabbed 17 times, with the cause of death being given as “stab wounds to the neck and chest”.

Addis, now 19, is standing trial for the alleged murder of his grandmother.

He admits killing Mrs Addis but denies murder.

Expert psychiatrist Dr Duncan Harding told Lewes Crown Court on Friday that during an assessment interview at Bluebird House, a secure mental health facility for young people, Addis said he thought the FBI was in his garden and that he was being watched through Instagram.

He also said he was seeing a white gecko in his room.

"I thought the FBI were in my garden all the time," Addis told him.

"I started to see stuff like animals.

"It was weird like this white gecko in my room."

Dr Harding asked if Addis thought the gecko was real.

Addis said he knew it was not real.

Dr Harding asked him if he could hear voices.

Addis told him he was hearing voices.

"It was this rapper," he said.

"Do you know Biggie Smalls?"

Dr Harding said during the interview at Bluebird House Addis was "well kempt" and had good eye contact, was “relaxed and friendly” and was able to fully engage with the interview.

However, Dr Harding said he did avoid eye contact when he was asked questions about the incident itself.

Dr Harding said Addis did not seem depressed or anxious and laughed during the interview at moments when they spoke about skating and rapping.

He said there was no evidence of psychosis during the interview.

In an interview with Leo Addis, Pietro Addis’s father, Dr Harding was told Pietro Addis’s behaviour changed in September 2020, withdrawing from friends, not going to college or work and spending most of his time in his room.

Mr Addis said his son was displaying paranoia.

"We knew he was smoking marijuana," Mr Addis told Dr Harding.

"We thought it was down to that."

He said his son had never displayed violent tendencies, although he said his son had punched the wall in December 2020 when he was denied his elvanse - his ADHD medicati.

On the day before Mrs Addis's death, Mr Addis said his son was "calm".

He had asked if he could move back in with Mr Addis.

Mr Addis told him "sort yourself out then we'll talk”.

On the day of Mrs Addis's death, Mr Addis told his son he was going to collect him from his grandmother's the next day as Pietro told him he was worried about people following him.

Mr Addis said Mrs Addis “liked” having Addis at her home and that sending him to her was not a punishment, he said he thought it was “part of the solution”.

The trial will continue at Lewes Crown Court this morning.