Man who lacked "inhibitions" because of a brain tumor is found guilty of manslaughter after killing his 11-year-old great-niece
A man who reportedly "had no control over his actions because of a brain tumor" has been found guilty of killing his 11-year-old great-niece with a table leg. Delroy Forrester was found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. However, he was not indicted of her murder.
11-year-old Jasmine Forrester was beaten to death with a table leg by her great-uncle, who had been suffering a mental health problem. The incident took place on February 9 when Jasmine was being looked after by her great-grandmother. Her grandfather’s brother, Delroy was also staying with them.
On the day of the murder, Delroy's daughter, Tyler had called the hospital stating that he was acting strangely.
However, as reported by BBC, the hospital staff said that they could not help him because he was "not a risk." On the day when Delroy appeared in the court, the jury was informed that he was suffering from a brain tumor. Wolverhampton Crown Court heard he had a tumor removed from his brain in 1999, but it had come back. Psychiatrist Dr. Dinesh Maganty explained to the court that the tumor had taken over the rational part of his brain which meant that he could not control his actions.
Dr. Maganty said: "Because the frontal lobe controls his inhibitions, he had a complete lack of control over his actions and emotions. There is clear evidence of a brain tumor. Clear evidence of epilepsy and psychosis." The 51-year-old had been complaining to his relatives that he was "getting messages through the TV telling him what to say" and also spoke about demons inside his head.
The court also heard that Tyler was angry that her father was not in the hospital and had called the crisis team at Penn Hospital in Wolverhampton hours before the murder took place. After the hospital told her that they could not help her, she reportedly said, "You'd better make sure he doesn't kill my nan tonight." The jury was also informed that Delroy had, in fact, wanted to kill his son Myles. He was later seen talking to Jasmine about being "pure and innocent."
The jury also heard that a couple of days before the incident took place, Delroy had been suffering from a psychotic mental disorder. His paranoia erupted into violence in the early hours of February 9, and he attacked Jasmine and her great-grandmother. The incident left Jasmine with unsurvivable head injuries and the grandmother with a dislocated shoulder. The police were called to the house.
In a victim personal statement read to the court, Jasmine’s father, Simeon Forrester said: “Jasmine was a vibrant, funny and loved life. That life was tragically cut short by the actions of a family member with whom she should have been safe in a trusting environment. I would give anything to change places with Jasmine; to take away the terror and pain she suffered that night. For the rest of my life, I will feel guilty because I was not there to protect her when she needed me most." He further described the pain of losing his daughter.
“At the Children’s Hospital, when medical staff informed me that the life support would be withdrawn, I felt numb. I lay next to Jasmine on her hospital bed. I cuddled her and urged her to be brave on her onward journey," he said. "No parent should ever have to do this. Through many tears, I held her and watched her last breath escape her. I feel that when she died so, too, did a part of me. Parents should never outlive their children. This is why there is no word to describe them. A wife who loses a husband is called a widow. A husband who loses a wife is called a widower. A child who loses a parent is called an orphan. There is no word for a parent who loses a child."
He concluded by saying, "Jasmine’s short life enriched the lives of so many people. She will never be forgotten. She will be loved forever. My darling little girl, my Shining Little Star. May she now rest in peace with Heaven’s Angels.” The court denied Delroy murdering Jasmine on the basis he was "legally insane" at the time of the killing.