LEWISHAM MAN WITH A MENTAL HEALTH HISTORY STABBED HIS MOTHER TO DEATH
A man with a history of mental health issues has been committed to a psychiatric hospital on an indefinite basis after confessing to the murder of his mother.Dawn Bennett, aged 57, was discovered with stab wounds at her home in Lewisham, south London, on June 10, and died from her injuries six days later.
Dawn had informed police that her son, Jamal Sealy, had unexpectedly attacked her.
At the Old Bailey, the defendant, 31-year-old Jamal Sealy, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones explained that the plea was accepted because of Sealy’s mental health condition.
After the attack, Sealy approached police officers and admitted to stabbing his mother.
Police found Mrs.
Bennett severely injured in her flat’s hallway, with a broken knife blade nearby.
She had previously expressed concern about her son’s mental stability and had been attempting to safeguard herself by hiding knives.
Psychiatrist Dr.
Nigel Blackwood described the killing as the result of a psychotic illness, noting that Sealy believed others intended to harm him.
The court also heard evidence that cannabis, particularly skunk, contributed to his altered mental state.
In a victim impact statement, Diana Bennett, the victim’s sister, stated that her sister would still be alive had Sealy received proper support.
She remarked, “Due to this, we lost our beautiful sister and our nephew.”
