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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Schizophrenic admits knife death | Schizophrenic admits knife death |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A paranoid schizophrenic has admitted stabbing a hospitality worker to death in a row over throwing chips on a London bus. | A paranoid schizophrenic has admitted stabbing a hospitality worker to death in a row over throwing chips on a London bus. |
| Anthony Joseph admitted manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility after a murder trial jury was discharged for the second time. | Anthony Joseph admitted manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility after a murder trial jury was discharged for the second time. |
| Richard Whelan, 28, was stabbed seven times, one of them through the heart, on a bus in July 2005. | |
| Joseph, from north London, was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. | Joseph, from north London, was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. |
| Mr Whelan's family said they were very disappointed with the verdict. Joseph, aged 23, will be sentenced on 20 December at the Old Bailey. | |
| A statement released on behalf of Mr Whelan's family immediately after the verdict said "the defence of diminished responsibility in this case has been used as a defence for the un-defendable, with so much evidence showing that Anthony Joseph was an angry and vindictive man." | |
| Callously killed | |
| It added: "He has tried to excuse his actions that evening by claiming mental illness, however in our opinion he callously killed Richard for no reason at all." | |
| Joseph had been released from prison earlier in the day despite an outstanding arrest warrant for him. | Joseph had been released from prison earlier in the day despite an outstanding arrest warrant for him. |
| CCTV footage showed Mr Whelan struggling with Joseph shortly after he threw chips at Mr Whelan's girlfriend, Kerry Barker, 38, and another woman. | |
| Miss Barker fought back tears as she told the court: "I turned round and they were fighting. The man was laughing as he was throwing chips. | |
| Mr Whelan was stabbed to death on the top deck of the bus | |
| "The man was basically on top of Richard," she said. | |
| "Richard was trying to fight back and I remember trying to pull the man off Richard. | |
| "I was ringing the bell. I was screaming 'Leave him alone'." | |
| Victor Temple QC, prosecuting, said Joseph took out the knife and stabbed the unarmed Mr Whelan on a bus on the Holloway Road. | |
| "The defendant had been drinking and taking drugs and needed little or no excuse to turn his pent-up anger against the innocent victim," he said. | |
| Philip Katz QC, defending, said Joseph was suffering from the onset of schizophrenia at the time and should be cleared of murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility. | |
| Joseph, of Islington, had been released from prison in Manchester only a few hours before the incident after a sex allegation against him was dropped. | |
| But it appears he should have been detained because he was due to appear at another court for a burglary offence and there was an outstanding arrest warrant for him. | |
| Although the bench warrant was on the national police computer, the prison was not told about it. |