Man who fled mental ward and battered gran to death with umbrella learns fate

A man who fled a mental hospital before battering a “highly respected” elderly churchwarden to death with an umbrella inside her village home was for six years today.

Grandmother Beryl Purdy, 86, known to her family as Bez, was found slumped on the ground in a pool of blood with serious injuries inside her house in Broomfield, . Police were called to reports of a in progress in March 2023 and made the horrifying discovery. David Parish, 38, was arrested hours after the killing as he walked along the verge of a nearby road.

Bristol crown court heard how he had absconded from a mental health unit in Taunton on the day of the sickening crime. Parish first went to a nearby barber and had his hair cut short and his beard shaved off.

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He then unsuccessfully tried to pull a man from a car as he drove away from Fyne Court, a National Trust property. Parish then broke into Beryl's home before brutally attacking her with an umbrella.

He admitted Beryl’s manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but denied murdering her. His pleas were accepted by prosecutors after psychiatrists said he was mentally ill at the time of the killing.

Parish, who had never met Beryl before, was handed a six-year jail term today. In a statement after the hearing, her family called for a review into how the "community can be protected from people with severe mental health issues".

They said: “We are serving a life sentence of torment knowing that we were unable to save Bez from her attacker and the outcome of sentencing today also means that her attacker avoids a life sentence... We would not wish our hell on any other family.

"We urge for a review of how the community can be protected from people with severe mental health issues.”

Det Insp Debbie Hatch, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: "This was a deeply tragic incident in which Bez lost her life in the most distressing of circumstances inside her own home.

“Our thoughts remain first and foremost with her family and friends, who have shown great strength throughout what has been an incredibly difficult time.

“This case highlights the complex intersection between mental health and criminal justice. While the defendant’s illness does not excuse his actions, it has been recognised as a key factor in the tragic events which unfolded.

"I want to pay tribute to Bez and the life she led. She was described by those who knew her as an incredibly caring lady and beloved by all who met her.

"Her death has left a profound void in the lives of many, and we hope today’s outcome provides at least a degree of closure to those mourning her loss.”