Man detained for killing 87-year-old with stick

A man who beat an 87-year-old to death with his own walking stick in a random attack at a railway station in east London has been detained in psychiatric hospital.

Miles Sekai, 23, subjected Bernard Fowler to a "brutal" attack outside Harold Wood station in east London early on 27 February last year.

Sekai, of Brent Cross in Hendon, tried to gouge out Mr Fowler's eyes, and then hit him over the head 19 times with his walking stick and stamped on his head eight times, the Old Bailey heard on Friday.

Mr Fowler, a retired mechanic, had gone to the station that day to pick up free newspapers for the community.

The court heard Sekai had travelled from Liverpool Street to Harold Wood Station and when asked to leave by station staff, replied: "Touch me and I will kill you."

He then tried to book a taxi to Brent Cross but when a cab driver arrived at the station to pick him up, they missed each other.

Prosecution barrister Benjamin Aina KC told the court that CCTV showed Mr Fowler at about 03:50 GMT walking towards the station, before the defendant approached him and began the attack just after 04:00.

Footage showed Sekai kick Mr Fowler in the head, pick up his walking stick, and hit him on the head "with force".

Mr Aina said: "Mr Fowler is hit to the head 19 times. The defendant then stamps on Mr Fowler's head eight times. The attack is truly shocking and appalling."

Sekai walked away but returned and stood over him in a "triumphant stance", Mr Aina added.

When police arrived, he ran off holding the bloody stick in one hand and his trainers in the other, and was arrested after a struggle.

A search of his rucksack revealed a large number of religious leaflets that stated: "Are you saved? If you died today: Heaven or Hell?"

The court was told the defendant had paranoid schizophrenia and there was evidence he had taken the synthetic cannabis drug known as Spice in the past.

Sekai had stopped taking medication after declaring he had been "saved by God".

He denied murder but pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Fowler by diminished responsibility, and assaulting a police officer.

In victim impact statements, Mr Fowler was described by his family as a kind and caring man with a "raw sense of humour".

His son Darrin Fowler said: "He was a loving, thoughtful, supportive father and grandfather.

"It does not feel real and I cannot process my father is gone. I feel angry at the way my father was so brutally taken."

Mitigating for Sekai, Brenda Campbell KC said Mr Fowler was "an entirely innocent victim" and the defendant was profoundly sorry for his actions.

He had a background of abuse and trauma in his home life, had problems with his mental health from the age of 10 and reported hearing voices at the age of 12.

He was admitted to hospital in January 2023 after a member of the public became concerned for his welfare.

Later, his mother had raised concerns he was having "delusions about religion" but that he had stopped smoking cannabis, Ms Campbell said.

The barrister suggested there were missed opportunities for medical professionals to spot the warning signs that Sekai was unwell.

After hearing he needed ongoing treatment at Broadmoor secure psychiatric hospital, judge Judy Khan KC sentenced him to a hospital order with restrictions.

The court was told he would likely spend years in hospital before being well enough to be released back into the community.

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