Man with dementia jailed for killing neighbour

A 74-year-old man with dementia who killed his long-term neighbour after experiencing delusional thoughts about those living on his street has been jailed for five years and four months.

Retired Transport for London (TfL) worker Derrick Brown stabbed Richard Brathwaite, 72, with a knife outside their homes in Wembley, north London, on 21 March 2024.

Harrow Crown Court heard the men who had lived next door to one another for more than 35 years were once amicable but "frictions" had emerged.

At the time of the attack, Brown had undiagnosed dementia which impaired his ability to form a rational judgment and exercise self-control. It was on this basis his guilty plea to manslaughter was accepted.

At Monday's hearing, Brown was also told to serve five years on licence.

Nina Grahame KC, mitigating, said Brown's dementia was "the only explanation for how this elderly man of previous good character, with no history of aggression or violence, committed these acts".

She added that the "tragedy" of the case was that there was no diagnosis of dementia until the court proceedings.

Judge Anupama Thompson said she had imposed an extended sentence in order to protect the public after hearing that Brown's delusional beliefs continued to persist.

Speaking of the victim, she said: "It is clear that Mr Brathwaite was a gentle, generous, hardworking man, devoted to his family.

"His family are struggling to comprehend his loss, a loss exacerbated by the fact he was killed in front of his home of so many years."

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