A MAN has pleaded guilty to killing Irish pensioner Thomas O’Halloran in a brutal attack in West London.
Lee Byer, of Allenby Avenue, Southall, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter by diminished responsibility of the 87-year-old, who was stabbed in Greenford, west London, in August 2022.
Mr O’Halloran, who hailed from Ennistymon in Co. Clare, was attacked while on his mobility scooter as he passed Byer in an alleyway alongside the A40.
Byer, 45, had been released from prison five days earlier.
A popular local busker, Mr O’Halloran had been playing his accordion outside a supermarket prior to the attack
A post-mortem examination found he was stabbed in the neck, chest and abdomen.
Tragic pensioner Thomas O'Halloran (Image: Met Police)“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,” Detective Chief Inspector Laura Nelson, who led the investigation, said following Byer’s conviction at the Old Bailey yesterday afternoon (April 28).
“Detectives have conducted a meticulous investigation in order to establish the facts of Thomas’s death,” she added.
“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.
“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."
The court heard how on Tuesday, August 16, 2022 Mr O’Halloran visited Tesco on the A40 and was returning home on his mobility scooter.
At about 4pm, as he travelled in the underpass which runs alongside the A40 in Greenford, he was attacked.
CCTV showed Byer heading towards an underpass under the A40 at the same time as Mr O’Halloran.
Moments later he was captured running from the scene with a knife in his hand.
Despite his injuries Mr O’Halloran was able to move forward on his scooter to Runnymede Gardens and seek help.
London's Air Ambulance medics tended to him but he died at the scene.
The post-mortem found the Irishman, who had moved to London at the age of 17, had been stabbed ten times.
The cause of death was stab wounds to the chest and neck.
Byer will be sentenced on Friday, May 10.
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