Spice-fuelled killer savagely beat pensioner to death with his own walking stick

A man who was high on spice when he beat a pensioner to death with his own walking stick has been locked up indefinitely for killing him.

Bernard Fowler, 87, had gone to Harold Wood station in east London in February last year to pick up his newspaper when he was spotted by Miles Sekai. The 23-year-old man was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and under the influence of the drug Spice when he launched the brutal attack on the man he had never met before.

At the Old Bailey in January, Sekai, of Brent Cross, Hendon, north-west London, denied murder but pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Fowler by diminished responsibility and assaulting a police officer.

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Judge Judy Khan KC sentenced Miles to a hospital order with restrictions after hearing he needed ongoing treatment at Broadmoor secure psychiatric hospital. The judge said she would outline her reason for the decision later.

The court was told Miles was likely to spend years in hospital before he is well enough to be released back into the community.

The court heard that before launching the deadly assault on Mr Fowler he had threatened a guard at the station and made some “rather unusual movements". It was further alleged that Sekai had the drug Spice in his system when tested two days after the killing.

Today, as he was sentenced the court heard, having targeted his eyes, Miles also hit Mr Fowler over the head 19 times with his walking stick and stamped on his head eight times.

Prosecutor Benjamin Aina KC said: “CCTV shows Mr Fowler at about 3.51am walking towards the station. He arrived at 3.50am. The defendant approached him and the attack began at about 4.03am.

“During the attack, the defendant gouges his eyes. He falls to the floor. The defendant then attacks him as he is lying helpless on the ground.

“He kicks Mr Fowler in the head, picks up his walking stick and then starts to hit him to the head with force. Mr Fowler is hit to the head 19 times. The defendant then stamps on Mr Fowler’s head eight times. The attack is truly shocking and appalling.”

The defendant walked away but returned and stood over him in a “triumphant stance”, Mr Aina said.

When police arrived, Miles ran off holding the bloody stick in one hand and his trainers in the other, and was arrested after a struggle.

Victim impact statements were read to the court today and Mr Fowler was described by his family as a kind and caring man with a raw sense of humour.

His son Darrin Fowler said: “He was a loving, thoughtful, supportive father and grandfather.

“My father had a huge heart and showed care and compassion for others.

He added: “It does not feel real and I cannot process my father is gone. My father was my wingman and confidante.

“I feel angry at the way my father was so brutally taken.”

Mitigating for Miles, Brenda Campbell KC, said Mr Fowler was an entirely innocent victim and the defendant was “profoundly sorry” for his actions.

He had a background of abuse and trauma in his home life, had problems with his mental health from the age of 10 and reported hearing voices at the age of 12.

After a gap of nearly a decade, he was admitted to hospital in January 2023 after a member of the public became concerned for his welfare.

Later, his mother had raised concern that he was having “delusions about religion” but that he had stopped smoking cannabis, Ms Campbell said.

The barrister suggested there were “missed opportunities” for medical professionals to spot the warning signs that Miles was unwell.

The court was also told that Miles was unwell when he turned up unannounced at his ex-girlfriend’s house in Luton the day before the attack on Mr Fowler.

She refused to let him in as he looked like he had not been taking care of himself and responded with a “blank stare” when asked about his “head space”, the court was told.

Judge Judy Khan KC sentenced Miles to a hospital order with restrictions after hearing he needed ongoing treatment at Broadmoor secure psychiatric hospital.

The judge said she would outline her reason for the decision later.

The court was told Miles was likely to spend years in hospital before he is well enough to be released back into the community.

In the aftermath of the killing, Charmaine Tonks told The Independent that the pensioner, known affectionately as "Bernie", was a very close friend of her late father. She said: "He always used to get the free paper from the station early each morning, I’ll always remember his smile, I thought he was a lovely man. It is a massive shock for anyone to reach such an age and to have your life taken in such a horrific way. It is absolutely despicable."

In a statement issued by at the time of his death, Mr Fowler’s family said: “Bernie was a dearly loved brother, father and grandfather who had been living in the area for over 20 years. He was a quiet, gentle man who lived alone but who, over the years, had helped many of the residents in his local community. The family are devastated by the news of his death. He didn’t deserve to be attacked in such a brutal way, just going out to get his local paper.”