Thursday 16 June 2022 06:34 PM Richmond Park killer John Barrett could be free after 17 years trends now
A paranoid schizophrenic who ambushed and stabbed a cyclist repeatedly less than 24 hours after walking out of a psychiatric hospital could walk free in months.
John Barrett repeatedly stabbed 50-year-old Denis Finnegan with a kitchen knife after attacking him as he cycled through Richmond Park in south west London.
He had been given 'ground leave' from Springfield Hospital in Tooting, south London, on September 1, 2004 despite a long history of mental illness and violence.
Barrett was supposed to return in an hour, but instead he discharged himself and went to buy a set of kitchen knives because voices in his head had 'told him to kill someone'.
The following morning he went to Richmond Park where, through a 'chilling process of elimination', he selected a victim.
John Barrett repeatedly stabbed 50-year-old Denis Finnegan with a kitchen knife after attacking him as he cycled through Richmond Park in south west London on September 1, 2004, hours after he had been released from a psychiatric facility
John Barrett, pictured in the early 2000s, was supposed to return in an hour, but instead he discharged himself and went to buy a set of kitchen knives because voices in his head had 'told him to kill someone'
Barrett, now 59, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was jailed for life in March 2005. He was sentenced to a minimum term of 15-and-a-half years.
The Parole Board heard his appeal last week and the decision is expected next Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: 'We can confirm the parole review of John Barrett has been referred to the Parole Board by the Secretary of State for Justice and is following standard processes. A decision is expected in late June.
'Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.
'A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.
'Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing. Evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements are then given at the hearing.
Barrett, now 59, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was jailed for life in March 2005. He was sentenced to a minimum term of 15-and-a-half years. The Parole Board heard his appeal last week and the decision is expected next Wednesday
'The prisoner and witnesses are then questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more. Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.'
Barrett, then aged 42, from Putney, south west London, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
He was sent to Broadmoor Hospital, in Crowthorne, Berkshire, to receive treatment.
Judge Scott-Gall told Barrett in 2005: 'This was a planned and unprovoked attack on a completely innocent member of the public, a family man who was a complete stranger to you chosen at
