A man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of an 87-year-old who was fatally stabbed while riding a mobility scooter in west London.

Lee Byer stabbed Thomas O’Halloran in the neck and chest in Greenford in August 2022.

On Monday, the 45-year-old, of no fixed address, denied murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter by diminished responsibility and having an offensive weapon.

Prosecutor Gareth Patterson KC accepted the pleas after mental health reports found Byer was psychotic, hearing voices, suffering from paranoid delusions and paranoid schizophrenia.

He said the defendant’s mental state provided an explanation for what was a “motiveless attack”.

A member of the public found the victim on his scooter coming from a passageway that runs between Runnymede Gardens and Welland Gardens and called the police soon after 4pm on 16 August 2022.

Despite being given first aid, Mr O’Halloran was pronounced at the scene at 4.54pm.

Politics latest: Scottish first minister Yousaf quits after ‘biggest political miscalculation of his career’

Humza Yousaf resigns as Scotland’s first minister

William and Kate release previously unseen photo to celebrate 13th wedding anniversary

He and the defendant were seen on CCTV heading towards the passageway where their paths crossed.

Apart from Byer, no-one else went in or out of the area when the victim was attacked, the footage showed.

When he left the passageway, a knife could be seen in Byer’s hand.

He was caught on camera putting a knife handle in a drain in Haymill Close on the way back to his mother’s house. Forensic analysis discovered the victim’s blood on the handle, but the blade was not found.

In police interviews following his arrest at his mother’s house on 18 August, he denied being the suspect caught on CCTV, claiming he was in his mum’s garden or the park at the time.

Months before the killing, footage on social media showed musician Mr O’Halloran busking as he raised money for Ukraine.

Old Bailey Judge Mark Lucraft adjourned sentencing until 10 May.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Related posts:

Over 500 e-scooters seized by police in one week during crackdown Man, woman and child die, with boy, 7, in intensive care after getting into difficulty in Loch Lomond Liverpool council health chief advises people to work from home in face of rising COVID cases Modern slavery cases up 60% in a year, charity says Neighbours ‘shocked’ by killing of couple at their home amid reports of parking space row One person in critical condition after boat capsized in Devon lake as search for two missing continues ‘From prime minister to a pub quiz question’ Two men arrested over rape and kidnap of teenage boy Water firms to face unlimited fines for polluting – as environment sec accused of ‘national scandal’ Trial date set for man accused of shotgun murder of brother-in-law Venting and flaring? Two things that are terrible for the environment and could power a whole city Men charged and due in court over death of ‘doting father’