A MAN HAS admitted killing an elderly Irishman as he travelled home on his mobility scooter in a “motiveless” knife attack in London, five days after being released from prison.
Lee Byer stabbed 87-year-old Thomas O’Halloran in the neck and chest in Greenford, west London in August 2022.
The 45-year-old, of no fixed address, today denied murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter by diminished responsibility and having an offensive weapon.
It can now be reported that Byer had a string of previous convictions, and had been released from Wormwood Scrubs just days before the attack.
Prosecutor Gareth Patterson KC accepted the pleas after mental health reports found Byer was psychotic, hearing voices, suffering from paranoid delusions and paranoid schizophrenia.
He said the defendant’s mental state provided an explanation for what was a “motiveless attack”.
Thomas O’Halloran was originally from Ennistymon, Co Clare and had been well known in the local community.
He was said to be a passionate musician and described as “very popular” in Greenford, often busking for charity.
Footage on social media showed him busking to raise money for Ukraine months before his death.
Shortly after 4pm, on 16 August 2022, police in London received a 999 call from a member of the public who found Thomas O’Halloran on his scooter coming from a passageway that runs between Runneymede Gardens and Welland Gardens.
Mr O’Halloran was able to tell the passer-by that he had been stabbed, although wounds to his body were clearly visible, the Old Bailey has previously heard.
The police arrived within minutes. Mr O’Halloran had collapsed and was being helped by members of the public.
Police and medics took over first aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene at 4.54pm.
A post-mortem examination found he had suffered multiple stab wounds to the neck, chest and abdomen.
Thomas O’Halloran and the defendant were caught on CCTV heading towards the passageway where their paths crossed.
The footage showed that, apart from Byer, no-one else went into or out of the area when the victim was attacked.
When he left the passageway, a knife could be seen in Byer’s hand.
He was caught on camera depositing a knife handle in a drain in Haymill Close on the way back to his mother’s house.
Forensic analysis found the victim’s blood on the handle, although the blade was never found.
After CCTV images of the suspect were released in the media, Byer was identified by people working in the criminal justice system.
After being arrested at his mother’s house on 18 August, Byer told police: “Murder, I was in prison at the time.”
Clothes matching those seen on CCTV were found in a search of the property as well as a knife set with handles similar to the one found in the drain.
Police also alleged Byer had tried to burn the clothes he was wearing in his mother’s garden.
In police interviews, he denied being the suspect caught on CCTV, claiming he was in his mother’s garden or the park at the time.
It can now be reported that Byer had 15 previous convictions recorded against him for 30 offences dating back to when he was 14 years old.
In 2011, he was convicted of robbery and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
On 11 August 2022, Byer had been released from Wormwood Scrubs.
Thomas O’Halloran was survived by his family, including his sister, two brothers, nieces and nephews.
At the time of his death, Fine Gael senator Martin Conway said Thomas O’Halloran visited Ireland regularly and that his death had left his home community in Ennistymon in “deep shock and sadness”.
“Tommy, as he was known, left Ennistymon for London 71 years ago but travelled home almost every year until about 10 years ago,” he said.
Old Bailey Judge Mark Lucraft adjourned sentencing until 10 May.
Judge Lucraft said: “The issue for me will be to consider the degree of responsibility retained at the time and to work out the appropriate sentence.”
Detective Chief Inspector Laura Nelson, who led the Scotland Yard investigation, said: “First and foremost, my thoughts today are with Thomas’s family who continue to feel the loss of their much loved father and grandfather. His death was senseless.
“Detectives have conducted a meticulous investigation in order to establish the facts of Thomas’s death. Byer’s movements were tracked from his release from prison up to the day of the attack, enabling us to present evidence that could not be disputed,” she said.
“We have worked closely with the forensic command and their examinations have intrinsically linked Byer to the attack.
“We have worked in partnership with the CPS and mental health professionals in order to understand Lee Byer’s mental health. It is the conclusion of mental health experts that Byer was psychotic when he attacked and killed Thomas O’Halloran. The findings have been shared with Thomas’s family.”
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