13 March 2023 , 16:17
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A killer who stabbed and bludgeoned a man to death will spend his life in a psychiatric hospital.
Jermaine Myers, 37, was sentenced after stabbing a homeless man in the neck and smashing his head repeatedly with a concrete slab in North London.
Jermaine was caught on camera wandering the streets of North Finchley with a knife in his hand as he found Nicholas Sutin sleeping on a bench on May 27.
Prosecutor Gareth Patterson said: "At around 4 am he came upon and fatally attacked a homeless man who was by a public bench. He was unarmed and helpless against the defendant.
"The defendant then ran to a building site, picked up a heavy block of concrete, returned to the victim and used the concrete, weighing eight and a half kilos, to hit him on the head.
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"It broke into three pieces during the attack."
Mr Patterson also said a stab wound to his neck severed a major artery ultimately causing the death in combination with his head injuries.
Jermaine Myers, 37, was caught on CCTV wandering the streets of North Finchley (Google Maps)He added: "Nicholas Sutin was born on 27 May 1967 so was in fact killed on his 55th birthday.
"It was a sustained and brutal attack."
Myers then ran across the road and put the lumps of concrete in the bin, the Old Bailey heard.
London police and ambulance services attended but despite their best efforts, Mr Sutin died at the scene.
A post-mortem examination carried out at Northwick Park Hospital Mortuary gave the cause of death as head injuries and a stab wound to the neck.
Mr Sutin had become homeless after struggles with addiction, the court heard.
Myers told police it had been Mr Sutin who had picked up the concrete, and that he had not been taking his medication.
He had received police cautions for affray and knife possession and also had previous convictions for battery, common assault and cannabis possession, including assaults on former partners, a security guard and a police officer attempting to arrest him for shoplifting.
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In a statement read to the court, Mr Sutin's sister Abigail Hanley said: "Hearing the devastating news that Nick had been killed was shocking. As the months progress we continue to struggle with the violence inflicted on him.
"We have found it difficult to understand how this is a situation where someone has diminished responsibility.
"Emotionally my brother's killing has come close to breaking my family.
"My sisters and I have no part in these proceedings except to show our disdain and horror for the defendant's actions that night.2
Myers, of North Finchley, admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and having an offensive weapon.
He has a longstanding diagnosis of schizophrenia and was detained under sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act.
Myers will be held indefinitely at Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield.