Plumber, 28, ‘stabbed fellow Brit to death in drug-induced frenzy’ at ‘Mad Hatter’s tea party’ near hippy commune

A PLUMBER has been charged over the death of a fellow Brit at a “Mad Hatter’s tea party” festival he organised near a Portuguese commune.

Josh Menkens, 28, is accused of stabbing a 37-year-old man to death with “exceptional violence” in September last year before using tree branches and pieces of clothing to hide his body in woodland.

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Josh Menkens, 28, with his father Troy[/caption]

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Troy, second left, will face trial over the death of a Brit at a ‘Mad Hatter’s Tea Party’ festival in Portugal[/caption]

Zed Jameson

The attack took place near the Libelinha Venture commune in Pedrogao Grande[/caption]

The 37-year-old victim was allegedly stabbed to death in remote woodland at a four-day festival

Josh, from Welwyn in Hertfordshire, was remanded in custody the following week and he has now been charged with homicide and “desecration of a corpse”.

Police said psychiatric tests suggested he was suffering “psychosis” at the time of the alleged attack near the Libelinha Venture commune in Pedrogao Grande.

He was was moved to a psychiatric hospital while he was in custody at the request of a Portuguese magistrate.

Police confirmed he had been charged after an investigation and will now face trial.

They told The Times: “An indictment was filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the district of Leiria against Joshua James Menkens, for the crimes of homicide, possession of a prohibited weapon and desecration of a corpse.

“Joshua underwent psychiatric evaluation, with the result that at the time he suffered from a psychic anomaly ‘psychotic episode/psychosis’.”

Police said “some witnesses said in their testimony that Joshua had taken hard drugs” with the victim.

Menken’s father, Troy, previously said his son was a “genuine, caring guy”.

When asked about the case this week by The Times, said: “It’s a very fraught time, a very slow legal system. 

“My focus is on my son who I love to bits, and it wouldn’t be right or fair to make any further comment at this stage with the upcoming trial.”

The 37-year-old victim, who still hasn’t been named, reportedly only met Menkens for the first time at the event – located half way between Lisbon and Porto.

Cops allege that Menkens repeatedly stabbed the Brit in woodland near the off-grid commune where he had helped stage the four-day festival called the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

They said the Brit was lured to the secluded spot.

In a previous statement, the Policia Judiciaria said: “The defendant, a foreigner and organiser of a party on a rural property, took the victim to an isolated forest location where, armed with a knife, he attacked him with unusual violence, stabbing him in several parts of the body and causing his death.

“After committing the homicide, the suspect hid the body using tree branches and pieces of clothing.”

At the time, police said Menkens had admitted to the small group of festival-goers what he had done.

Two people then reportedly accompanied the Brit to a police station in the nearby village of Figueiró dos Vinhos.

A source told The Times that investigators found the knife that had been used cleaned of blood and returned to a drawer in the shared kitchen of the commune.

Libelinha Venture commune

The off grid living community where the Mad Hatters Tea Party took place is owned by UK public school-educated Xavier Hancock and his Spanish partner Arantxa Atauri.

They launched the Libelinha Venture commune, which is focused on reforestation “to start their journey towards a sustainable lifestyle”.

There was no suggestion the couple were involved in the stabbing.

A promo for the festival, which was due to run from September 20 to 24 last year, described it as a “gathering filled with great music and fantastic souls”.

It urged those planning to attend to “show love, kindness, and respect to ourselves, each other, and the land”.

In addition to a line-up which included several DJs, the event also featured circus performers, wellness workshops and a “Hatters Secret Quest”.

Tickets cost 50 euros (£43) and included four nights of camping on site, although guests were given the offer of upgrade “glamping” options costing up to £120.

Initial reports said a group at the festival were playing the notorious Blue Whale suicide game when the Brit was killed – but this was ruled out by investigators.

A date for Menkens’s trial has not yet been set.

In the Portuguese legal system, the period between arrest and trial is typically between six and 18 months, The Times reports.