A man stabbed a four-year-old girl before turning the knife on himself - four years after he tried to kill his entire family.
The 40-year-old man, named locally as Stephen Coops, and the child were found with serious injuries at a house on the Cornish coast yesterday morning.
Mr Coops died at the scene and the girl was airlifted to hospital having suffered stab wounds.
She remains in a serious, but stable condition in hospital.
Four years ago, Mr Coops was detained under the Mental Health Act after admitting dangerous driving.
Swansea Crown Court heard how he deliberately crashed his car at 60mph in the hope of killing himself, his partner and her three children as they travelled to Wales for a family holiday.
Mr Coops told police he believed an unknown man was waiting for them at their destination in Roch, Pembrokeshire.
All five survived the crash and a judge ordered Mr Coops should be kept at a low-security mental hospital until he had recovered and was safe to release.
Police were called to the family's semi-detached home in the village of Lanteglos on Thursday morning after neighbours saw the mum run from the house carrying her injured daughter.
Patricia Swiggs, 72, an ex-cafe owner, took the mum and daughter into her house and tried to give emergency treatment.
She said: "The mother was outside shouting for help and the child was in her arms.
"We rushed out to help and the mother was saying the girl's father had stabbed her and he's done something to himself.
"I took the mother and daughter inside and called 999."
She added: "It's terrible, devastating. I hope the little girl is okay."
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