Moment knife killer desperately tries to cover his tracks by lying to police as ... trends now
Chilling footage shows the moment a paranoid schizophrenic lies to police after he was arrested for fatally stabbing a grandfather on a mobility scooter in a 'motiveless' attack.
Former armed robber Lee Byer, who has 15 convictions for 30 crimes, stabbed Thomas O'Halloran, 87, in the neck and chest in a west London underpass.
He was today sentenced to an indefinite hospital order at Broadmoor after admitting the killing, which took place just five days after being released from prison.
As Byer fled, dumping the knife shortly afterwards, his dying victim - who had been busking to raise money for Ukraine - travelled for 75 yards on his scooter desperately trying to find someone to help him before bleeding to death.
In police cam footage showing Byer's arrest, the 45-year-old can be seen plainly lying to the officers, claiming: 'I've not got a clue what you're talking about... Before you go any further I was in prison so it's impossible what you're talking about.'
Byer can be heard saying to officers: 'Before you go any further I was in prison so it's impossible what you're talking about'
Thomas O'Halloran, 87, was fatally stabbed in the neck and chest in Greenford, west London
Lee Byer (pictured) murdered Mr O'Halloran in August 2022
Byer (pictured on CCTV) had a string of previous convictions, and days earlier had been released from Wormwood Scrubs
CCTV footage showed Byer dumping the knife shortly after walking away from his victim
Mr O'Halloran's family told of their fury after the prosecution accepted Byer's plea to the lesser offence of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and dropped its murder case.
It followed mental health reports that found Byer was psychotic, hearing voices, suffering from paranoid delusions and paranoid schizophrenia. He will now be detained at Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric hospital under section 37 of the Mental Health Act.
Judge Lucraft said: 'Thomas was clearly a much loved man and the head of an extended family.
'One can only imagine the impact of the violence towards this gentle man and all those who knew him.
'No words can cover the grief they feel for this senseless killing.
'It was clearly a savage attack.
'I know the family may find the decision I have made difficult to understand, but if I can give them any assurance this case has been considered by two of the country's leading forensic psychiatrists.'
The judge said it is too early to say how well Mr Byer will respond to treatment and he may have
