10 May 2024 , 14:55
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Ex-prisoner Lee Byer who killed an elderly mobility scooter rider five days after his release has been sentenced at the Old Bailey to an indefinite hospital order.
Byer stabbed 87-year-old Thomas O'Halloran in the neck and chest in Greenford, west London, in August 2022. The 45-year-old had a string of previous convictions, and just days before he launched the callous attack, he had been released from Wormwood Scrubs. Byer, of no fixed address, denied murder at the Old Bailey last month, but pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter by diminished responsibility and having an offensive weapon.
Today on Friday, May 10, he was sentenced at the Old Bailey to an indefinite hospital order.
Mr O'Halloran, who was a grandfather and well known member of the local community, was originally from Co Clare in western Ireland. He was described as a passionate musician and "very popular" in Greenford, often busking for charity. Footage on social media showed O’Halloran busking to raise money for Ukraine months before he was stabbed to death.
Lee Byer was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order (Priscilla Coleman/MB Media)Shortly after 4pm on August 16, 2022, police received a call from a member of the public who found Mr O'Halloran injured on his scooter. Mr O'Halloran was able to tell the passerby that he had been stabbed, although wounds to his body were clearly visible, the Old Bailey previously heard. Police arrived at the scene within minutes, where Mr O'Halloran had collapsed and was helped by members of the public.
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Despite the best efforts of police and medics, the grandfather 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.
On Monday, April 29, Byer denied murder at the Old Bailey 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".
Byer was caught on CCTV disposing of the knife in a drain (PA)
The grandfather was pronounced dead at the scene at 4.54pm (MYLONDON/BPM MEDIA)Mr O'Halloran and the defendant were caught on CCTV on the day of the attack, where their paths crossed as they headed towards the passageway. Video footage showed that, apart from Byer, no-one else went into or out of the area when the victim was attacked.
CCTV footage captured Byer carrying a knife and then disposing it in a drain while he travelled back to his mum's house. Forensic analysis found the victim's blood on the handle, although the blade was never found. Images of the suspect were released in the media, and Byer was then identified by people working in the criminal justice system.
Byer was arrested at his mother's house on August 18, but lied to police about his whereabouts, saying: "Murder, I was in prison at the time." The clothes he was seen wearing 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 reported that Byer had also tried to burn the clothes he was wearing in his mother's garden. In police interviews, the 45-year-old had denied being the suspect caught on CCTV, claiming he was in his mother's garden or the park at the time.
O'Halloran was "very popular" in Greenford, often busking for charity (Kieran McKenna)
Byer had 15 previous convictions recorded against him (PA)Byer had 15 previous convictions recorded against him for 30 offences dating back to when he was 14. In 2011, he was convicted of robbery and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. On August 11, 2022, Byer had been released from Wormwood Scrubs prison. Mr O'Halloran was survived by his family, including his sister, two brothers, nieces and nephews.
Ireland's Fine Gael senator Martin Conway said Mr O'Halloran visited the country regularly and that his death had left his home community in Ennistymon in "deep shock and sadness". He said: "Tommy, as he was known, left Ennistymon for London 71 years ago but travelled home almost every year until about 10 years ago."
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