Mentally-ill man given ten years for killing pensioner in 'road rage' attack
A mentally ill man who stabbed a pensioner to death in a "road rage" killing has been sentenced to serve ten years for the manslaughter.
Mathew Daley, 35, had screamed "die you f****** c***" as he repeatedly stabbed 79-year-old grandfather Donald Lock in the head, back, neck and chest after their cars were involved in a low-speed accident.
Daley was acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility at Lewes Crown Court, which heard he had suffered from mental health problems for more than a decade.
Judge Mr Justice Singh ruled Daley should be sent to a medium-secure psychiatric hospital to begin serving his sentence for the "violent, unprovoked attack".
Cycling enthusiast Mr Lock, who had recently been given the all-clear from prostate cancer, died at the scene of the attack on the A24 at Findon, near Worthing.
Witnesses said that he screamed "help, help, get off me" as Daley stabbed him 39 times with a four-and-a-half-inch blade.
Daley's mother told the trial she had "pleaded" for for her son to be sectioned after his mental health broke down - but her fears were not heeded by mental health staff.
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust have since apologised, saying their care of him "should have been better".
In sentencing, Judge Singh said it was clear that Daley's responsibility was "substantially impaired" by his mental health - but said it was not clear that it was "completely extinguished".
Mr Lock's family today said that his death had caused "the most overwhelming pain that you can ever imagine" in an impact statement read to the court.
They said that Mr Lock, who would have turned 80 this week, was "a real gentleman who loved life."
Speaking outside the court his son Andrew said they would never be able forget the "horror" of his death but were comforted by the fact that his killer was no longer a danger to the public.