Escaped psychiatric patient killed church warden with golf umbrella

Telegraph

23-05-2025

An escaped psychiatric patient killed a church warden with a golf umbrella in March 2023, a court heard.
David Parish, 38, randomly attacked Beryl Purdy with an umbrella he had taken from her porch and inflicted fatal head injuries.
Before the attack, Parish had locked Mrs Purdy's husband, Peter, in the kitchen of their home in Broomfield, near Bridgwater, Somerset.
Parish was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia caused by smoking cannabis, and had been detained temporarily under the Mental Health Act at the Rydon Ward in Taunton.
Mrs Purdy's body was discovered after her husband had alerted a neighbour. It was another neighbour who found her body behind the freezer.
'He then noticed two feet with black shoes on sticking out from behind the displaced fridge freezer,' said Anna Vigars KC, prosecuting.
'He went to investigate and found that the feet belonged to the body of Mrs Purdy, which was crumpled against the wall with a washing basket on top of her.
'Mrs Purdy's head was covered in blood to the extent that it was difficult to see what her actual injuries were.'
A post-mortem examination found that the 86-year-old Mrs Purdy had died from blunt force trauma head injuries consistent with the use of the umbrella.
At a previous hearing, Parish, of Halyard Drive, Bridgwater, pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
Messages from birds
The father-of-two's mental health had deteriorated following the breakdown of his marriage in 2021.
The court heard that Parish believed he was receiving messages from birds, and that he was under threat from people outside his home.
The court heard an investigation is under way into the circumstances of how Parish was able to leave the unit.
The judge, Mr Justice Saini, asked: 'What accountability has there been for the hospital that allowed Mr Parish to walk out? It is not Mr Parish's fault that he left.
'He was clearly meant to be detained under section two of the Mental Health Act. What's happened?'
In a victim impact statement, Mr Purdy said that he and his family had been let down by the NHS.
'Anger and sadness'
'My lifetime partner and best friend, Bez Purdy, was brutally attacked and killed in our home,' he said.
'I'm reminded of the incident every time I enter the room where she was found, which leaves me with anger and sadness, and more recently, loneliness to contend with every day.
'I miss my wife terribly and wish we could share the memories made over 64 years of marriage.'
The couple's son, Nick, said his mother's death has had a 'lasting and damaging impact' on all members of the family.
Adam Vaitilingam KC, defending, said Parish's mental health had stabilised and he was no longer on medication.
'Intense shame'
'He feels intense shame about what he did and genuine remorse for what happened,' he said.
Parish was jailed for six years and told that he would serve at least two-thirds of the sentence in custody before he could apply for parole.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Saini said: 'You killed Beryl Purdy when you attacked her in her own home with a large golfing umbrella.
'You had been detained in the unit under section two of the Mental Health Act and you should not have been able to leave the hospital.'