Jeffrey Barry, 56, pictured, stabbed his neighbour, Kamil Ahmad to death at his flat in Wells Road in Bristol at about 2am on July 7 last year
A ‘criminally insane’ mental health patient who murdered a refugee and cut off his penis hours after being released from a psychiatric hospital has been jailed for at least 23 years.
Jeffrey Barry, 56, stabbed his neighbour, Kamil Ahmad, 49, to death at his flat in Wells Road in Bristol at about 2am on July 7 last year.
The murder took place hours after Barry, who has paranoid schizophrenia, was released from a psychiatric hospital.
Bristol Crown Court heard that psychiatrists had opposed Barry’s release, but a mental health tribunal ruled that he should be discharged.
Barry told a community psychiatric nurse he was ‘criminally insane’ in a phone call he made minutes before the fatal attack.
But police discovered a note in his room reading: ‘The fact is, I have acted out my entire psychiatric history. I’m very well. Sorry.’
A jury unanimously convicted Barry, who is being held at Broadmoor Hospital, of murder following a two-week trial.
CCTV footage on the night of the murder showed Barry leaving the flat in the early evening on July 6, 2016.
He spent several hours drinking at Charlie’s Bar in Wells Road and Long Bar in Old Market before returning to the flat just before midnight.
Footage captured him leaving the flat at 1am, wearing just his pants, and making a telephone call in the hallway.
He rang a mental health crisis helpline and told the operator he was criminally insane and was not responsible for his actions.
He ended the call at 1.26am, and appeared on CCTV footage three minutes later, emerging from his flat shirtless but wearing trousers with a knife in his pocket.
There were 25 stab wounds to Mr Ahmad’s face, including his eyes, and fatal stab wounds to his stomach, right arm and left wrist. His penis had been cut off after his death
He then walked upstairs and knocked on Mr Ahmad’s door.
His victim opened the door and Barry went in before emerging 42 minutes later with blood visible all over his clothes.
He then walked back down to the hall, dialled 999 and told the operator he had killed Mr Ahmad.
Home Office pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery examined Mr Ahmad’s body and found injuries to his face, head and neck.
There were 25 stab wounds to his face, including his eyes, and fatal stab wounds to his stomach, right arm and left wrist. Mr Ahmad’s penis had been cut off after his death.
In one bizarre note Barry said: ‘Kamil is planning to kill me’
Police found several pieces of paper with ramblings written by the 56-year-old
One of them said: ‘The fact is I have acted my entire psychiatric history. I’m very well sorry’
Speaking last month, Mr Ahmad’s family described the Kurdish refugee as ‘a deeply loved member of our family’.
They said: ‘We have one question: why was Kamil not protected by the authorities from this violent racist?
‘We call on all the authorities to give an honest answer to this question without delay, so that Kamil can rest in peace and so that other vulnerable people are protected.’
Barry was racist towards Mr Ahmad after he moved into the Wells Road flats, which are run by Milestones Trust for adults requiring support.
And in a series of bizarre and rambling notes he wrote ‘Kamil is trying to kill me’ and ‘I am extremely psychotic’.
On May 24 last year he told support workers he wanted to be notorious and murder a member of the public, adding: ‘Kamil would be top of my list.’
He wrote a note saying he planned to kill people living in the house, including Mr Ahmad.
In a phone call to police on May 25 last year, Barry claimed Mr Ahmad was a rapist, a thief, a paedophile and a terrorist.
Barry had relapsed after he stopped taking anti-psychotic drug clozapine in November 2015.
He was drinking heavily, smoking skunk cannabis and behaving in a sexually inappropriate manner.
Barry was caught on CCTV entering the flat of Mr Ahmed in the minutes before the killing
Barry is pictured in the flat of Mr Ahmad in the moments before he launched his brutal attack
On June 13, Barry was sectioned under the Mental Health Act after being filmed on CCTV performing a sex act, wearing only a police hat.
He was taken to Callington Road Hospital in Bristol before being transferred to the Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke in Weston-super-Mare.
A mental health tribunal ruled on June 28 that Barry could be released, after he promised not to drink or take drugs.
Staff at the Milestones Trust were only informed of the decision to release Barry a few hours before he returned to Wells Road.
They attempted to get an injunction to prevent him from doing so, in an attempt to protect Mr Ahmad, but there was insufficient time.
The murder happened last July atthe Milestones Trust flats in Wells Road, Bristol (stock photo)
A spokesman for Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust described the murder as ‘tragic and brutal’.
‘We remain committed to close co-operation with all agencies in an effort to prevent such an event happening in the future,’ he said.
John Hoskinson, chief executive of the Milestones Trust, said an internal review was being conducted, as well as other investigations.
‘We do understand this is a very difficult time for those involved but are unable to comment further until the results of these investigations are known,’ Mr Hoskinson added.