Man admits killing 87-year-old who was fatally stabbed while riding mobility scooter

A man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of an 87-year-old who was fatally stabbed while riding a mobility scooter in west London.

Lee Byer stabbed Thomas O'Halloran in the neck and chest in Greenford in August 2022.

On Monday, the 45-year-old, of no fixed address, denied murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter by diminished responsibility and having an offensive weapon.

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".

A member of the public found the victim on his scooter coming from a passageway that runs between Runneymede Gardens and Welland Gardens and called the police soon after 4pm on 16 August 2022.

Despite being given first aid, Mr O'Halloran was pronounced at the scene at 4.54pm.

Months before the killing, footage on social media showed musician Mr O'Halloran busking as he raised money for Ukraine.

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