A man who fatally stabbed his 82-year-old neighbour after wrongly believing he was a paedophile has been handed an indefinite hospital order.
Julian Donoher, 51, attacked Gerard Ring in the garden of his home in Whitecross Gardens, Derby, on the afternoon of September 6 last year, Derby Crown Court heard. Donoher had not taken his mental health medication for nine months before the attack.
Attack details
Prosecutor Mark Heywood KC said CCTV showed Mr Ring riding his mobility scooter to his front door at 1pm on the day of the attack. He then seated himself in the garden, occasionally going indoors and returning to sit or do minor work.
At 2.15pm, Donoher walked past Mr Ring's home and was recorded saying "words to the effect of 'no problem' before telling the dog to 'come on'". He returned five minutes later with his right hand in his pocket, went up to Mr Ring and stabbed him while "gripping his head in the crook of his arm", before walking away.
Delusional comments
After the attack, Donoher approached another neighbour, put his hands on her shoulders and "said something about the paedophile business", telling her he had "killed a paedophile" and that Mr Ring had raped a teenage girl.
Mr Heywood told the court: "Unambiguously, there is no truth in any such suggestion. These were delusional comments."
Mr Ring managed to return inside his house and locked the front door behind him. He used his own phone to dial 999 and said he had been stabbed by a man he did not know to the throat, side and wherever else he could stab him. He was also able to call for help loudly enough for other neighbours to hear.
Hospital order
When paramedics arrived, they found Mr Ring on the floor in his hallway bleeding heavily. He was taken to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham but died on the morning of September 9.
The court heard Donoher, who has a history of depression and bipolar disorder, had psychotic symptoms and began saying "strange and bizarre things" after moving to Whitecross Gardens. He had schizoaffective disorder and had been a user of cannabis and had tried harder drugs since his early 20s.
Donoher, who appeared in court by video link, admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. On Tuesday, he was handed a hospital order with restrictions aimed at ensuring he gets appropriate treatment and to protect the public.
Donoher reportedly told police after the attack that he would be "a f****** legend in jail". Mr Ring's eldest daughter Tracey Ring, who held a framed picture of her father while she read a statement in court, said she feels "unbearable" pain and told Donoher his attack was a "vile, savage, inhumane attack".
