A MAN who killed a retired Catholic priest in an attack at a Staffordshire hospital has been jailed for seven years and one month.
Joseph David Phillips, 33, of Stafford, was a patient at County Hospital when he attacked fellow patient Fr Oliver Kemp on February 17, 2021.
The 82-year-old priest, who had spent part of his retirement in Ireland, was transferred to the Royal Stoke University Hospital, where he died from his injuries six days later.
Phillips was sentenced on Thursday at Stafford Crown Court having earlier pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
"This was a tragic incident for all involved," said Detective Chief Inspector Cheryl Hannan of Staffordshire Police.
"Our thoughts remain with those that knew and loved Father Kemp."
Known affectionately as Fr Ollie, the priest was ordained on March 19, 1966 and served at numerous parishes in the Archdiocese of Birmingham until his retirement in 2004.
He retired to the parish of Castlegregory in Tralee, Co. Kerry, where he was a popular figure in the local community, before returning to Birmingham in 2013.
He had been living at Aston Hall in Stafford at the time of his death.
In a statement following his passing last year, a spokesperson for Castlegregory Parish described Fr Kemp as 'kind, gentle and caring'.
"Fr Oliver retired to Castlegregory from the Birmingham Diocese some years ago and helped out regularly in the parish before returning to England in 2013," read the statement.
"He was a gentle, kind and caring man who had a wonderful affinity with the sick and the elderly and often mentioned how privileged he was to be able to minister to the residents of Ocean View Nursing home."
Fr Kemp was laid to rest at Holy Trinity Church, Newcastle-under-Lyme, on March 24, 2021.
